


Di Immortales

by Aryanese



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Canon, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Healing Powers, Hospitals, Multi, Punishment, Reader-Insert, Relationship(s), Science Fiction, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Spanking, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-05-22 15:43:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6085416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryanese/pseuds/Aryanese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where do I begin? At the risk of sounding cheesy, humanity gained its greatest weapon and hope on that fateful day. The day the Survey Corps's expedition initially took a turn for the worse. They found you. More dead than alive. Perhaps dead. Emaciated. Definitely not conscious, nope. And bloody hell, wrinkled skin far worse than a shrunken prune! Nails and hair equally long, you were mistaken for a mythical monster. Or an oversized broomstick. Which was what led the dark haired man to inspect you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic ever!! Woohoo! After reading so much, I figured it's time to get my story out here.
> 
> Since I'm putting this in the AoT universe, I try to keep the important bits as true as possible, but where there are mistakes, just turn a blind eye (sorry!). The story takes place briefly before Wall Maria was breached, but after ACWNR. So that means somewhere in 844/845 and Levi is newly conscripted, and probably isn't a captain yet. Whoooo I did my research.
> 
> Oh, and by the by, all random OCs are named with names beginning with R ;) Aaand Hange isn't a squad leader. Yet. Soon.
> 
> Enjoy reading! Comments and feedbacks appreciated, folks :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it says Prologue, but it's pretty long. Bear with me! Also a little bit more scifi than normal AoT stuffs. Teehee.

The mission was going horribly wrong. In fact, this mission was eerily similar to the most disastrous one he’s ever been in; where he lost the two people he cared most in this world. The rain came down in heavy sheets, and the sky was occasionally bruised with forks of blue and purple. Visibility was close to zero and to top it off, he’d lost track of the main brigade and his squad.

The dark haired man gritted his teeth in frustration. There was nothing to do but to keep going. The mission, this time, was to establish the supply route. If they were successful, it’ll be the fifth supply center outside of Wall Maria – another victory for mankind. Their chances of victory had dramatically increased after using the long range scouting formation but in weather conditions like this, the formation is useless.

He urged his horse to a gallop, the fast pace matching his heartbeat. Each thunder was like a titan’s footstep, the swirling mists the giants’ breaths. So caught up he was in his paranoia and jangled nerves, he barely realized that he’d caught up with Squad 4.

“Levi!” hailed Hange, wildly waving her arm. “Where are the rest? Your squad leader?” she asked.

“Lost them,” replied Levi, shaking his dark, dripping hair out of his eyes.

“Look, we’re not that far from the next stop, and we reckon the storm’s going to let up soon, and – aghhh!” Hanji broke off as her horse suddenly reared, almost dislodging her.

The rest of Squad 4 broke their formation as a 4-meter class titan suddenly pounced into their midst.

“Switch to 3DMG!! Stay alert, there may be more titans around!” yelled Mike Zacharius, Squad 4’s leader.

Levi was already up in the air and aiming for the titan’s nape. As he slashed, he saw another titan approaching fast. The titan accidentally kicked one of Squad 4’s members in its haste, sending his broken body flying. He was dead before he hit the ground.

“Raymond!!” screamed Hange. “Ryan lookout!! Behind yo- shit!!”

The warning came too late as the titan snatched another comrade and chomped on his head. Mike slashed the titan’s nape as the remaining member of Squad 4, Rebecca engaged it from the front.

“Let’s keep moving!” ordered Mike again, as he landed on his horse. “Hange, are you sure it’s the right direction?” asked Mike.

“Positive! My device doesn’t lie; we’re headed 35 degrees southeast!” replied Hange, referring to the latest, most complicated compass-like instrument that she’d engineered shortly before the mission.

Levi looked distrustfully at the device she held in her hands but said nothing. They continued galloping in that direction, hoping to run into the main company. They rode for about half an hour by which time the storm has started to clear away. Still no sign of the rest of the Survey Corps.

“Are you really sure this is the right way?” asked Mike again, this time with slight anger and frustration to his voice.

“Err well yeah! I’m pretty sure! Ehehe,” said Hange uncertainly, discreetly shaking and hitting her device.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Like, sure sure or suuuree? Like, 100% sure?”

They started bickering, much to Levi’s annoyance. He urged his horse to go faster, leaving them slightly behind. Besides leaving the noisy pair, he had another reason for his haste: he spotted an outcropping of a building surrounded by dense vegetation in the distance, which could be their destination.

“Squad leader Mike, Hange, look! There’s the center!” said Rebecca, pointing out to the building. Hange displayed a smug look to Mike, which he ignored.

The building was much larger than they initially thought, because of the distance. It was, however, in an advanced state of disrepair. One side of the wall was completely gone, exposing the building to the elements. Dense undergrowth makes it hard for them to explore the building properly.

“All right, circle the building and set up the perimeter. We don’t want an ambush,” ordered Mike tersely. All of them had noticed the complete absence of the rest of the Survey Corps. Could all of them have been devoured by titans?

***

The sun was setting. Still no sign of the others. The 4 of them had scouted the area earlier and found it to be titan-free for the moment. They had moved into the outermost section of the crumbling building, and had a fire burning in one of the more sheltered corners. Hange was furiously working with her device, trying to determine what went wrong.

“Guys, don’t worry. I’ve calculated the supposed location of the real center based on the sun’s position. We’ll head out at first light,” said Hange while wiping her brow.

Mike merely grunted and set about preparing for the night. Rebecca was assigned as the first watch, followed by Hange, Mike and lastly Levi. 

Even so, none of them could sleep easy as the hours dragged by.

The fire burnt low. Hange eventually stopped tinkering and lulled asleep. Rebecca too slept after her shift. Mike was outside, a lone sentinel on the broken, exposed tower of the building when Levi saw it.

It was a faint, pulsing red light that came from the depths of the partially explored building. Warily, he got up from his sitting position on the floor and stalked towards the light. No, he wasn’t imagining it. The light was definitely there. He only noticed it now because the fire is no longer bright enough to mask it. He considered calling Hange awake, but something stopped him. This was his discovery, and instinct was calling him to venture alone.

He turned, and saw that Rebecca was waking up. “I’m going down for a bit. Let Hange know if I’m not back in 15 minutes,” he said. Without waiting for an answer, he walked through the dark doorway, and carefully descended the dank, moldy stairway.

It was surprisingly long; Levi counted 50 steps in his head before reaching the bottom. The only path was a corridor to the left, and here the red light was stronger. The corridor further branched into 3: straight, left, and right. The light was coming from the right, so he followed that path. As he neared the end of the path, he saw the source of light. It was coming from a bulb above a steel door, and it was pulsing non-stop.

He was getting more curious by the minute. Not hoping much, he pushed the steel door. It was heavier than it looked, but it opened nonetheless, to his surprise. The sight that greeted him beyond the door was nothing short of bizarre. The room was vast, spacious, and well-lit, easily 10 meters in height; it stretched farther and deeper underground than the pathetic crumbling building would suggest. Still, half of the cavernous room was blocked by debris – there appears to be a cave-in or a structural collapse. Some rocks were no bigger than his palm, but the biggest rocks were easily as large as a house.

What drew his attention, however, are the large cylindrical capsules stationed at regular intervals in the room. There were 4 of them – no 5, one of them was crushed and stuck underneath the debris; large amounts of cable and wires stretched from each one. One capsule was severely dented on its side while another at the back was standing crookedly. He walked down from the metal platform by the door to the ground and drew his blades. His senses told him that there was something here, something he should be wary of. Yet, the only sounds were his breathing, his light footsteps, and a strange hum in the air.

The first capsule he came to was dark and silent. He peered closely, and saw that it was liquid inside – and there were things swirling in the liquid. He edged closer, trying to make out what they were, when with a sudden horrifying clarity he recoiled back in shock. There was a human skeleton inside. The swirling things were his – or her – hair. “Fucking shit,” he cursed.

Before he could calm his erratic heartbeat, a loud, gunshot crack sounded in the chamber. Levi swiftly engaged his 3DMG and clung to the high walls. The crooked capsule at the back had toppled. It was the only capsule that was emitting pinpricks of light – blue lights, but now the color has changed to red, pulsing the same way the door light was outside. Levi flew closer to investigate. The capsule had conveniently crashed onto the sharp rocks, and as a result, the thick glass shattered. Liquid pooled out, and with it, a human body.

Levi’s eyes widened in surprise. This wasn’t a skeleton. The hand was thin and bony, but it obviously belonged to a living human. He waited for a couple of heartbeats before descending near the figure. When it didn’t move he approached it.

“Oi.” No response.

“Oi, can you hear me?” Still no response. Not so much as a shudder, or… wait. It wasn’t breathing.

Levi didn’t want to touch him, or her, because the skin looked glisteningly slimy, and his or her hair was long and messy, almost shrouding the entire body. And look at the nails! The person’s nails were very, very long, almost rivaling the length of their hair and bits of it were curling because they’re simply too long. Levi cocked his head. From this angle, the figure almost looked like an oversized broomstick, and Levi cracked a small smile at the thought. What am I doing? He thought, shaking his head. He kneeled by the figure and started to take the person’s vitals.

He thought the person was dead at first because his/her heartbeat was faint and slow. Still, he/she wasn’t breathing, so he had to act fast. Trying not to gag, he performed CPR. The figure coughed, retched and coughed again, spewing out the same thick liquid inside the capsule from its lungs. Levi stepped back in disgust and tried not to gag (again). He wiped his mouth. The person was now breathing again, but he realized that he/she wouldn’t survive very long if medical attention wasn’t given. The figure was emaciated, kind of like how some of the inhabitants of the Underground looked like when they were about to die.

He took out his pocket knife and cut his/her hair to the base of the skull, and cleared away the excess hair. This person was female, he noted. He covered her with his cape and proceeded to cut the long nails as well, just because it’s gross.

He heard approaching footsteps. Hange’s voice echoed down the hallway, into the cavern. “Levi!! Are you alive? What did you – oh my. Oh MY GOD!!!” She shrieked out the last sentence upon seeing the room. Rebecca was peering above Hange’s shoulder apprehensively, trying to see what was worth screaming about.

Hange became a kid in a candy store; she was babbling excitedly now. “Can you imagine what this means? Oh god we’ve made a huuuuge discovery! This is our first step forward! Look at all this, this technology, THIS!” she finished, sweeping her hands across the cavern, eyes and glasses shining with glee.

“Calm the fuck down, shitty glasses, and look, we’ve got to bring her back, right now. She needs the medics, and fast, if we want to know anything about this creepy ass place,” said Levi with a scowl.

“What? Who? Oh!” Hange’s face turned grim. “You’re right, this changes the situation. Let’s go. We can’t afford to wait till sunrise anymore,” said Hange.

“But Hange, is that wise? The titans – ” Rebecca’s protest was cut short as Hange interrupted. “Screw the titans. This human here must live. She’s the only person who knows anything about all – this,” Hange gestured at all the machines and devices that she could never even dream of.

Levi was already halfway up the metal platform, the girl cradled carefully in his arms. She was so thin and seemed so fragile that Levi was scared he’d accidentally break her.

As the trio reached their small camp, they were met with a scowling Mike. “Where the heck did you guys go without telling me?! I thought you lot were eaten for god’s sake! And who the fuck?” Mike stopped scolding them long enough to sniff the girl. He straightened up with confusion and decided to take another sniff. And another.

“Enough you perverted mustache blondie!” growled Levi. He placed the girl gently on the ground and proceeded to bundle her with more blankets, as a damper to the undoubtedly rough horse ride ahead. Hange filled Mike in on what was contained in the floor below, and he too decided it would be best to start going now. His confusion still persists as they packed their things. This girl smelled like no one and nothing he’s ever smelled before, and she’s a dangerous mix of scent – hope, danger, and something like stormy air.

As they galloped away, Levi couldn’t help but feel that they were at a crossroad. A crossroad of time and this moment was the beginning of something. It was something in the air, something with the girl, but he didn’t let himself get hopeful.


	2. Wait, What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly describes you and the beginnings of trouble *dramatic gasp*  
> Levi will only come back in the next chapter, where he'll come to the rescue again~~ ;) Enjoy!

You were carefully walking down the reddish stone steps leading away from the hospital. While all you wanted to do was run and jump, you couldn't risk damaging your fragile body and to be honest, you'd tire out so much after 5 minutes you might faint. It's happened before; though you were doing a far less strenuous activity at the time.

At the bottom of the stairs, you took a deep breath of the chilly autumn wind. It’s taken you a month to get this far. The first week you barely remember. You were hovering at the edges of consciousness, slipping in and out of darkness. The bright lights hurt. The noises compounded the pain. Nothing you heard made sense.

The second week was spent in shock. Well, the first three days of the second week, to be exact. You had woken up in a clean, stiff and scratchy bed, with a drip and a feeding tube attached. Fidgeting a little, you realized it wasn’t the bed sheets that made you itch, but the diapers you were wearing. The surprise was the first feeling to register. Then came the disbelief, humiliation, and embarrassment. You wanted to take it off. So you need to go to the bathroom to do it in private.

As you tried to get up from the bed, you realized: what bony arms you have! And my, what bony legs you have! At that point, you were discovering the state the rest of your body was in. you were effectively a breathing, living skeleton of a human.

No, not a literal skeleton! But just extremely thin. Like you were anorexic, or like you went for a long time without food. God, you must be a horror to look at, you thought, as you touched your face. Your cheeks felt sunken, and you’re pretty sure your eyes appear bulging. As you brought your hands higher up your face to your hairline, you made another horrifying discovery. You were bald!!!

You almost screamed. Well, almost, because god knows how long you hadn’t used your voice, so all that came out was a hoarse choking sound. It wasn’t even loud. If there was a fire and you were screaming for help, yeah well, my condolences.

Your mind was going a bazillion miles a minute. You were starting to hyperventilate, but not that you noticed it. You clutched your head in your hands. What was the last thing you were doing? You’re pretty sure it wasn’t chemo. Come to think of it, when was the last time you did anything? Holy shit, what’s your name?? Classic, you thought, to wake up in a hospital bed with no memories. Cliché drama plot. Oh wait, but you do remember your name! (F/n). (F/n)(L/n).

You were contracted to go into stasis by your government, for 20 years. Have 20 years passed? The last thing you remembered, as you can recall now, was the pain in your lungs as you breathed in the thick, clear liquid in the stasis chamber. Outside the unit, two scientists dressed in combat suits (yeah weird, and you know it) were carefully monitoring your vital signs. The fluids are nutrient and oxygen rich, and they will be your only sustenance till it’s time to wake up. Your thrashing stopped, and panic gave way to calm as the pain subsided and you found that you were not suffocating.

Through the distortion of the glass, you saw one of the scientist press a button. A stream of blue swiftly filled your chamber of liquid and darkness blanketed your mind. See you soon, I hope… was your last thought, sent to 8 others in similar stasis chambers, before the void claimed you.

Still, you only went into shock when you looked into the mirror on your bedside table. Haha, hello Baldy! You look like a plucked vulture! Which is really terrible, since vultures don’t have many feathers to begin with. Your skin was smooth and supple, though, so you had that going for you.

Just as you were resigned to your fate as a skeletal human-plucked-vulture hybrid, you heard the door click open and close. The nurse, not much thinner than you are (so it seems) took one look at you and stepped back right out. An elderly doctor with a monocle and a bushy mustache soon entered, the nurse in tow.

“$^#&#£^#(#*@^#&#^*#?”

"What?" You blinked once.

“$^#&#£^#(#*@^#&#^*#?” He tried again.

Holy shit, was that a language?

***

From the stone steps, you took a leisurely stroll on the winding cobbled path that will take you to the gardens. The gardens are part of the hospital, and they stretched for about a couple of miles before ending in an arched metal gate and opening up to the city beyond. This city is for the rich, as you learned within the short weeks you were here. The hospital, Sina Central Hospital, even more so. You wondered how you were going to pay your fees. Perhaps you should run away before they kick you out. Or maybe you should offer yourself to work there.

Kicking up loose gravel as you walked, you took note of the people enjoying the autumn weather around you. Patients in wheelchairs, visitors chatting, military police marching about their business, happy children running. It was serene, you suppose. If only you had a better understanding of their language.

The day you woke up you also discovered that you do not speak their language, and they yours. That is extremely disconcerting because the last time you checked you were pretty sure the whole world could speak English. Someone must know French, at least. Or even Mandarin. Or Japanese or Korean! Or _________! (Insert language here)

You’re proficient in a multitude of languages, but they knew none of it. And you’ve never heard this language before. It sounded oddly like Japanese, but somehow the syllables are all arranged wrong and you couldn’t get a word out of them.

You passed by a bench and decided to take a rest. The bench was one among many that dotted the gardens and this particular bench was facing the lake. The lake wasn’t very big or deep as it was manmade, but it was beautiful and peaceful. Ducks were swimming, and some people were feeding them dry chunks of bread. Bread so dry you’re almost guaranteed to choke on them, or fall dead should those projectiles hit your head. You saw a chunk hit a duck. The duck seems unfazed. Sighing, you close your eyes and let the conversations drift over the wind and the rustling of leaves.

You now understood some bits of their language, but it was rudimentary at best. You could probably hold a decent conversation with a 4-year-old, which is saying something considering the short period you’ve had to learn. The language barrier, the state of your body, and this strange place… it led you to shock, which thankfully lasted only for a few days. The place you find yourself in doesn’t seem to be 20 years into the future, but rather 200 years into the past. Many modern comforts are not available, and the absence of electricity is shocking, pun not intended. You tried to find out where on the world map is this place located, but it doesn’t seem like anyone knew.

Once the shock subsided, you focused on your recovery. The time you spent in stasis had severely degenerated your muscles, leaving you hardly able to do things normal people were meant to do. You could barely lift a mug full of water, and you couldn’t take a step unassisted. It was bad.

And so, the third and fourth weeks were filled with physiotherapy, eating tasteless hospital food, language classes (from whoever was willing and had time to teach, which weren’t many) and more exercises. They were some of the hardest and most frustrating weeks you’ve had. Looking back you were proud of yourself for coming this far. Imagine from being as helpless as a babe to making it to the gardens on your own, _without crutches_. You still have a long way to go before recovering your full strength, obviously, but you had gotten back some muscle mass. Plus, your (h/c) hair is finally growing back!! Granted, it’s still short, and people still mistake you as a lad at first glance but it’s way better than being a scrawny baldy.

Having had enough rest, you got up from the bench and resumed your walk, being careful not to exert yourself. As you walked, you noticed that people kept looking at you, some even performing a double take. It’s not unusual, because even if your figure and hair looked like a boy’s your face was unmistakably feminine. You ignored all the stares, all the gasps from the dainty court ladies (about how improper you are, and in some cases, how cute you look) and the jeers of some young boys and kept walking. You didn’t notice a set of seedy, watery eyes hungrily following your figure from the distance.

***

You were at the hospital cafeteria, eating some bland dinner consisting mainly of potatoes and vegetables. Despite it being tasteless, you still took heaps of food, even taking a second helping which endeared you to the cafeteria lady. No one _ever_ took seconds. Nowadays you were always hungry, and you credit that to the fact you were recovering.

As you played with the last few spoonfuls of mashed potato, you felt a prickling sensation on your neck, as if you were being watched. You exaggeratedly took a large spoonful of mashed potatoes, pretended to choke, and dramatically spun around in search for water. Your eyes quickly scanned the room, all the while maintaining the act that you were searching for your mug. Your eyes caught on a figure just outside the cafeteria that was casually leaning against the wall. He was wearing the military police uniform and reading a newspaper.

You find that suspicious because the police normally conduct their business during office hours. Perhaps he was visiting someone? And who reads the morning paper at night? The cafeteria lady came to help with your pretend-choking by slapping your back, which threatened to make you _really_ choke. As you chugged some water down, you noticed that he was joined by another military policeman, and this guy was not so discreet. He stood blocking the cafeteria door and was staring at you with a cruel smirk on his face.

A chill went down your spine. What the heck do they want? You’re pretty sure you weren’t involved in any criminal activity or anything even remotely incriminating as of late. And you’re also certain that they weren’t the people who're coming to see you tomorrow, because, well, they’d come tomorrow. The elderly doctor with the bushy mustache, Doctor Richeberge, told you that the people who rescued you and put you under Sina Central Hospital’s care will finally drop by tomorrow to visit. You’re quite excited and anxious at the prospect.

As you sheepishly thanked the cafeteria lady, you stole a glance at the doorway. The two were gone. If anything, this made you warier. You were no stranger to danger, but with the current state of your body, you can’t afford to take any chances. You made a move to leave the cafeteria.

The familiar corridors never looked so dark and threatening. Cursing softly, you forced yourself to climb the stairs up to your floor. You strained your ears for the slightest sound as your silent footsteps carried you to your room. As you neared your room, you looked around to make sure no one was following you. There wasn’t anyone. Relieved, you turned to open the door.

As you touched the doorknob, you froze.

_There was someone in your room._

You can’t explain how you know it; it’s an instinct, a gut feeling. And your gut tells you you’d better obey what it’s telling you, or things will get messy. You fled down the corridors as fast as you can. Behind you, you heard the sound of a door slamming open, and hurried footsteps chasing you. You didn’t dare to look back. You slid down the banister of the main staircase, hoping to bump into a nurse or a doctor. No such luck.

You can’t run much longer. You can feel it – your muscles are tiring fast. As you slid down another floor, you had an idea. Putting all your energy into a last sprint, you ran towards the children’s ward. There are always more people there. You didn’t stop running after you went through the double doors into the children’s ward. Turning left into a corridor, you slid to the ground and let momentum carry you past the nurses’ workstation. As you expected, there were 3 nurses and a doctor still working into the late hours. None of them noticed you sliding on the smooth marble floor and into the maternity section. They didn’t miss your pursuers, though.

You stealthily doubled back through another corridor and heard the commotion. The doctor was furiously yelling at – yep, suspicions confirmed – the military policemen to leave. The maternity ward is off limits to everyone except the staff and immediate family members. Military police or not, no one gets through. You felt guilty for leaving the doctor and the nurses to deal with the trouble and hoped the military policemen wouldn’t get aggressive.

You didn't dare return to your room, so you decided to spend the night in Doctor Richeberge’s office. His office would offer more security as there are locks installed. Did you have the key? Well, of course not. But key or not, you have been inside his office a few times, just for the sheer pleasure of breaking in and being somewhere you’re not supposed to be. You never disturbed his belongings, though.

Because the office is located near the main entrance, you were sure the military policemen will pass by and sure enough – soon you heard the familiar clips of their boots, muffled as they were. You discreetly opened the office window about an inch or so – just enough to hear their distant voices. Once again you cursed your grasp of their language – it was hard enough trying to eavesdrop on a far-off conversation as it is.

“Have to find --- , he wants --- by tomorrow,”

“--- worth a lot --- ,”

“She won’t run --- nowhere else ---,”

“ --- come back --- ,”

You couldn’t pick up anything beyond that as the men moved farther away, melting into the night.

Nope, not good, whatever this shit is. You hoped that your visitors tomorrow will whisk you somewhere safer, or else you’re going to have to run and hide. Cursing to yourself again, you wondered if you’ll ever lose your knack for attracting trouble, and spent an uneasy night dreaming of mashed potatoes and the Military Police.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea that the language that the SNK/AoT Universe speak is somewhat similar to Japanese because their letters are loosely based on Japanese katakana, arranged on their sides (remember the hidden message in Levi's Wanted poster? http://www.mangapanda.com/shingeki-no-kyojin/57/25 Caused quite a ruckus when it's discovered)


	3. Not Bad Yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Levi to the rescue! He may or may not have fallen for you at first fight - err, sight. 
> 
> I appreciate your comments and feedbacks folks!

There are many ways to begin a morning, and _how_ you begin is especially important, because it will set the tone and flavor of the rest of your day.

Being woken from Sina Central Hospital’s Director’s office chair by the Director _himself_ , Doctor Richeberge, is not your idea of starting a day right. While he wasn’t especially mad, you did earn some dirty looks from the Head Nurse, and you got yourself a Q&A session with the doctor and the head of security.

Though you tried to explain about the intruders in the night, they didn’t seem to be overly concerned and rather, prioritized in installing new locks in the office. Fat chance that’ll help, you thought, giving an internal eye roll. To humor you, Doctor Richeberge escorted you back to your room, which earned you another nasty look from the Head Nurse. Honestly, wtf is her problem?

“(F/n), the Survey Corps will be coming after lunch, so why don’t you get ready? It’s almost lunch time,” He said gently, noting how stressed and frazzled you look.

You felt electricity coursing through you. You’d somehow forgotten about that important visit.

“Right, thanks, Doc, I will,” you said, feeling butterflies growing in your stomach. You’ve no idea why you’re feeling excited and anxious; you felt like you needed to make a good impression. It does seem that they hold an authority of how you’re going to be handled and where you’ll be going next, so you don’t want to screw your chances.

***

It was already two hours past lunch time. By this time your nerves had gone from excited, anxious, and nauseated to a numb disappointment. Even Doctor Richeberge seemed a little upset that they didn’t show up.

“I have so much to tell them about you,” he sighed and ruffled your hair. “Don’t worry; they’re probably caught up in something. The Survey Corps are a busy bunch of people, you know. I might get a message from them later. In that case, I’ll let you know what happened, Ok?” He was trying to cheer you up, and you appreciate his efforts. You smiled and thanked him, and decided to talk a walk in the gardens again. No point sitting around doing nothing, so you might as well focus on stamina and endurance exercises.

***

You were pretty happy with your results from your walk in the gardens today. Not only had you walked further than you’ve ever been before, you also managed to run for a while. Still, you didn’t forget yesterday’s event easily, as you made sure to conserve some energy. You also kept a watchful eye throughout for the two military policemen, but you didn’t see anyone acting suspiciously.

Feeling optimistic, you bounced to the cafeteria, ready to inhale some food. Before you could, however, the Head Nurse called to you. “There you are, missy! Doctor’s calling for you, they’re here. Well, go on! It’s rude to keep visitors waiting!” she finished with a scowl.

You were surprised. So they were just late, huh?

You entered Doctor Richeberge’s office with an expectant grin – you were still high on adrenaline, so you have no capacity to be nervous. As you set your eyes on your visitors, all your expectations flushed down a figurative toilet and a sickening feeling hit your gut. Horrified, you mutely shook your head as the good but clueless doctor introduced you to the ‘Survey Corps’.

Your visitors were none other than the two Military Policemen from last night, wearing the Survey Corps’ uniform.

You bolted from the office before the others could take two steps and rammed into the Head Nurse who happens to be just outside by accident. She fell to the floor with an ungraceful “Oof!”. Ignoring her, you aimed for the door of the hospital, only to skid to a halt and change directions as you saw two more Military Policemen waiting for you outside.

You ran up a few stairs, down another, took two lefts, entered an empty wing, went right, and ended up near the garbage disposal area near the back of the hospital. You hoped all the random directions you took would be enough to shake them off your trail. As you bent down to catch your breath, you heard the clips of boots approaching you.

Cursing, you started to move away, only to have the corridor blocked by another pair of Military Policemen wearing the Survey Corps’ uniform. You have not seen this pair before – one of them was male with striking raven hair and hooded grey eyes; the other a brunette female with her hair tied messily. She was wearing glasses and had a slightly deranged smile on her face.

“Is this her, then?” asked the slightly shorter male to his partner.

“Yup, yup, I’m positive, Levi,” replied the woman.

You tensed, ready to run.

“Tch. Stop being so troublesome, will you? Quit your running, we just want to talk,” said Levi as he addressed you.

After all that’s happened, you can’t possibly believe that all he wants is to talk, but talking may get their guard down enough while you make your escape.

Slowly edging backwards to another corridor, you challenged him. “What the hell do you want? All I know is that you guys have been trying to catch me since yesterday, and now all you want is to talk? Bullshit!” You finished the sentence with a shout.

“Calm down… tell me your name,” said Levi evenly, raising his palms in a gesture that meant he wasn’t looking for a fight.

You hesitated. You’ve reached the corridor now. You can just turn and run, and you can escape. Or you could tell this pretty man your name. Before you could make a choice, however, a dark, heavy object slammed onto your side. Followed by another.

“Look! We’ve got her, Rowlie!” said the dark heavy object on top of you. It was very uncomfortable, as one of his giant hands was on your face, trying to smother you, while the other hand was randomly groping you. You squirmed and struggled as he started groping your tiny (for now) breasts. “Well, well, she’s quite a looker too – reckon we could have some yeeaarrggghhhh!!” he screamed as you bit and bloodied his hand. With your foot you kicked him square on the face, breaking his nose.

His partner, Rowlie, delivered a mighty bitch slap across your cheek, sending you sprawling to the ground. You used the momentum to roll on the ground and get into a crouching position and glared at the man. He was advancing with an arm raised to attack. You launched yourself at his feet and rolled past him, delivering a back kick to the back of his knee. This sent him falling into a trolley of used medical supplies. He screamed in agony as some bits needles and broken glass stabbed his face and torso.

The other man swung a heavy wooden chair aiming to hit your head but missed. You didn’t even register that, because you had suddenly fallen on all fours to the floor, clutching to the last remains of consciousness. “Shit,” was all you managed. Your breathing was rapid and shallow; your sight was dim and your hearing fuzzy. This had happened before when you exerted too much of your energy. You were still recovering, after all. That and the fact that you haven’t eaten after your exercise earlier at the gardens was taking its toll.

The two military policemen did not realize that this fight had an audience. Levi and Hange had already started moving the moment you were slapped to the ground. Levi took care of the guy who swung the chair at you. He made sure to hurt him a lot more because that man had also groped you and suggested that they do things to you.

“Um, look, guys, err, we can – ” was all the other guy, Rowlie managed to say before Hange kicked him in the face, smashing some of his teeth out. “Well, I don’t know what this is about, but we can’t have anyone harming our property,” said Hange.

Levi hummed in agreement. He was on the floor beside you. You were still on all fours, head on the ground. Levi took your arm and draped it across his shoulder before slipping his other arm beneath your legs, carrying you up bridal-style. “No… let go…” you softly whimpered, not knowing you were in the safest place you can ever be.

“Hange…” Levi started.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it. I’ll call Nanaba and Moblit to help. They’re not getting away with this,” replied Hange, looking down at the beaten up Survey Corps’ imposters with disgust and anger.

Levi walked away, carrying you in his arms. You gathered enough energy to open your eyes and look up. Your questing (e/c) eyes met his stormy grey eyes and you felt your heart jump from the intensity of his gaze. “I won’t hurt you,” he said softly, as if he knew your unspoken question. You saw only honesty in his face. Deciding to trust him, you let the day’s events catch up with you and snuggled your head further into his jacket and his neck. “My name’s (F/n). (F/n)(l/n),” you murmured to his collar. He smells nice… you thought as you drifted into peaceful slumber.

Levi meanwhile, had other things to think about – how you had grown heavier since he first carried you, how you no longer looked like a ragdoll or a broomstick for that matter, how you had defiantly stood your ground against your attackers despite yourself, how you finally accepted and trusted him – and mostly, he was impressed by the fire burning within your eyes. “Not bad,” he muttered to no one in particular. Looks like things are going to be interesting, and he’s looking forward to it.

 


	4. Puzzle Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you understand more of this bizarre world you find yourself in. Where you came from, Titans have yet to exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know some time lapse has happened due to the stasis, but you did not age. You stayed at the age when you entered the stasis, so that would put you around 20 years old.  
> Also, since you're still learning the language of AoT universe, assume that most conversations are a little slow and sometimes require you to draw explanations when you don't have the words for it.
> 
> This is a slow-build kind of story, so be patient before all the action takes place!  
> Enjoy reading, and don't be shy to comment!

You awoke to the sound of someone sneezing. It’s not the best of sounds, to be honest. If an elephant were to shriek, that might just be the sound. The elephant shrieked again. Very much annoyed, you sat up and threw a pillow at that sound. “Shut up! Ugh!” you yelled and rolled away from the sunshine pouring in through the window.

There were a few chuckles in the small room. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine,” drawled a silky voice sarcastically. You sat up, now thoroughly confused. Rubbing your eyes, you realized you have quite a number of visitors in your room today. A brunette with glasses askew was sitting in a corner with a hanky and a pillow, another blond man – no, woman, was standing beside her. A tall, gigantic blonde man was leaning against the wall opposite them with his arms folded – he has a mustache and his fringe was covering most of his eyes. The one who spoke – your heart rate increased for no good reason – was leaning casually against the windowsill, arms folded as well.

The sunshine caressed his pale face and skin, and his soft raven hair shifted slightly in the morning breeze. His cheekbones were high and prominent, and his gaze was as stormy and gray as you first beheld them. You realized you were staring. Blushing slightly, you shook your head and lightly clapped your cheeks to get your thinking back on track.

“Um, you guys… who are you? Are you really the Survey Corps? Those men yesterday, what did they want? What happened t-” You reeled off all the questions that were swimming in your head, before being interrupted.

“Haha slow down there! We’ll try to answer all your questions – in return, you answer ours,” said the woman with the glasses. She still had that deranged smile on her face. Or maybe that’s just how her face looked like.

“I’m Hange Zoe, and this is Nanaba, Levi, and Mike,” said Hange, pointing to each one as she made the introduction. Each of them made some sort of gesture at the mention of their names, save for Levi who merely took a chair and sat beside your bed.

“And you’re (F/n) (L/n), correct?” continued Hange.

“Yes, nice to meet all of you,” you politely replied with a small bow – however you can from your sitting position.

“To answer your question, yes, we are the real Survey Corps. Those men were Military Policemen wearing our uniform, but I’ve no idea how they got them in the first place,” at this, Hange’s face turned serious. You tried your best to keep up with the speed of her speech – it was faster than you’re used to hearing from the old nurses who were teaching you.

“Those military pigs said you’ve been thieving in the city, is that right?” interrupted Levi, leaning on his chair towards you. His eyes glinted dangerously at you while yours widened at the accusation.

“Wha- no! That’s a lie!” you protested, outraged.

“Hmm, that’s what they all say,” Levi said darkly. Before you could further protest, you were alerted by a presence beside your ear.

“She’s not lying,” observed Mike, giving a mighty sniff close to your neck.

“PERVERT!!!” you screeched, slamming his face with another pillow before he could straighten up.

Cheeks puffed and red with indignation, you haughtily get off the bed and brushed past Levi. “I’m taking a bath first _and_ I’m hungry,” you announced. “Let’s talk at breakfast,” you directed the last bit at Hange.

As you made for your armoire, Levi stood and grabbed your arm. His grip was iron, and it hurt. “I’m not fucking done with you,” he growled.

Yanking back your arm without much success, you growled back with equal fire “let me take a bath first,” You stared directly into his gray eyes, anger fueling your determination to win the staring contest.

Seconds ticked by and you were vaguely aware of Hange trying to diffuse the situation. His gray orbs were lightly speckled with blue, you realized. “Fine. You smell shitty anyways,” he grumbled as he dropped your hand and bumped your shoulder on the way out. Spluttering in offense, the only coherent response you could make was a low “Fucking ass!”

***

You picked up your food in the cafeteria and looked around. Hange was excitedly waving her arms from a doorway leading to a private dining area that is normally reserved for important guests. You made your way to the bright, sunny room and noted that Doctor Richeberge was there along with another member of the Survey Corps who was introduced to you as Moblit. You sat at the only available seat left, which is directly in front of Levi. You groaned inwardly, unsure if you liked or hated the guy.

Levi only raised an eyebrow at the mountain of food on your plate before sipping his tea and focusing his attention back to the conversation at hand – the doctor was telling them of your progress. While the conversation was fast-paced and lots of foreign words were used, you get the gist of it. Not that you paid much attention, as you were too busy devouring your food.

“Her recovery was astounding; we didn’t expect her to survive the first week. It’s nothing short of miraculous, and her mobility has improved so much,” said Doctor Richeberge. “And there is one thing that I think you’ll find interesting. She has fast healing abilities,”

“What makes you say that?” asked Hange, glancing at you.

“Two weeks ago she’d accidentally stepped on some broken glass, and the wound was gone an hour later. I don’t know precisely how fast she can heal herself, but no wound like that should be gone in _an hour_ – no scars, no traces, _nothing_.”

Silence enveloped the room, and you looked up from your plate to find everyone staring at you. Trying to look as innocent as possible, you swallowed your food and said “What? I didn’t steal anything,”

Several people laughed and chuckled at this. Even Levi smirked. “Guilty conscience, eh?” asked Levi, leaning back smugly on his chair. You felt your cheeks heat up from your foolishness.

“If you want to know, (f/n), those military policemen were working for a nobleman,” began Hange, leaning back on her chair to look at you. “They only said you’re a thief as an excuse to get their hands on you. Levi knows this and he’s just teasing you,” continued Hange, shooting Levi a look.

Levi ignored her and swirled his black tea. “You just escaped from being somebody’s sex slave,” he said somberly and your eyes widened in shock.

“Who’s the guy they work for?” you asked grimly.

Levi took a look at your disturbed face and answered gruffly “No one important. We took care of it,”

You mulled this over for a second over your almost-finished breakfast. “So what happens to me now?” you asked the most important question of all, looking at each individual faces.

“Now… you come with us,” replied Hange, the beginnings of a crazed smile forming on her face.

***

You’re now in a carriage trundling towards the outer walls. The Survey Corps’ Headquarters in Wall Maria, to be precise. You had packed whatever meager possession you have and bade the Doctors and nurses farewell. Levi and Hange are accompanying you in the carriage. Levi, because he didn’t want mud splattering on his boots on the way and because he was worried what Hange might do if left alone with you, not that he would admit it anyway. Mike and Nanaba were attending a meeting with the higher ups in Sina, so they stayed behind while Moblit opted to ride on horseback instead of taking the carriage.

Hange had been in a non-stop conversation with you since you left Wall Sina. “So, you don’t really know our language?” asked Hange.

“Not really, I can speak a little and I can hardly read,” you replied and showed her your motley collection of papers and notes that you took while learning this language.

“Interesting… so what language can you speak?” Hange asked, curiosity brimming in her bespectacled eyes.

You proceeded to demonstrate all the languages you knew, but as you expected, they knew none of it. Levi listened, fascinated.

“Where did you guys find me?” you asked. This was one of the questions that have been burning in your mind since you awoken a month ago.

“Outside the walls, obviously. 30 miles southeast of Shiganshina, to be exact. You know, we wouldn’t have found you if my magnetic device didn’t malfunction. But then, even now, it’s not working properly,” concluded Hange sadly, showing you her device before pocketing it again.

“That’s because you have shit for brains, shitty glasses,” said Levi, rolling his eyes.

“I might be wrong, but the amount of machinery and electricity in that place could have affected your device,” you said and drew whatever you didn’t know how to say to get your meaning across. It was like playing charades. A damn frustrating one. They didn’t understand electricity.

“Were there others?” you asked again, this time cautiously. You needed to know, but you dreaded the answer. If the others were rescued too, then you would have met them by now.

Levi and Hange shared a look briefly. Your heart hammered in your chest as Levi told you what you felt you knew. “You were the only one,” he said softly. His look conveyed understanding and sorrow. He might not know who they were to you, but it was a loss to you nonetheless.

“But they were there, right? They’re just… not alive?” you were insistent; you had to make sure. The look in his eyes said it all. Closing your eyes to dam the spilling tears, you looked out the window and stayed silent for a long while.

At last, you spoke again. “There were 8 of us… we were to sleep for 20 years until the war reaches the final stage. Then we were to intervene and fight our weakened enemies… So what happened? Why did we…” You didn’t finish that question.

“20 years? 20 years ago?” Hange asked, agitated.

“No one has roamed freely outside the walls in 100 years, (f/n). Or did you somehow find a way to walk undetected among the titans?” Levi narrowed his eyes at you. He didn’t completely trust you despite your innocent and unthreatening countenance. He’d seen you fight; while your hits were weak, they were precise and spoke of years of training.

“Ah, I’ve been meaning to ask, what are titans, exactly? They say titans are giant humans that like to eat us normal humans, but surely that’s just some… erm,” you fell silent as two pairs of incredulous stares met your own squirming, uncomfortable one. You wanted to say that titans must be some kind of children’s stories, but you didn’t think that notion would be treated kindly by these two battle-hardened soldiers.

“So you don’t know what the titans are. Huh. You really don’t know?” asked Levi again, his stare hard and cold. “Tell me what your war is about,” he continued, not giving you a chance to answer his previous question.

“Well… to sum it up, we had a silent war between 3 nations. Each of them was secretly organizing attacks, but citizens of the world knew next to nothing about them. The media has been controlled and only reported what these governments want. Each nation was also building secret weapons – one country, in particular, was interested in biological weapons,” you tried to explain to them in the meager vocabulary that you possess.

“So you were part of one the nations?” asked Hange, hand on her chin.

“No, we were part of the neutral body – a body that governs all the other nations, a higher court, if you will. We had intelligence that war was inevitable, so we took measures and countermeasures to ensure the survival of humanity. A war of this scale and nature will put the entire human population at risk,” you continued.

“Wait, so how many nations do you have?” asked Hange again. She can’t believe this. You were a gold mine of information. Or you might just be one extremely talented fraud, but the technology and the circumstances in which you were found pointed to the conclusion that you were telling the truth. Plus, you seemed eager to help. While Levi was suspicious, Hange was willing to take the risk. They’ll just find out your motivations later.

“About 195 independent nations,”

“What’s the world population?”

“Around 7 billion and counting,”

Shocked silence followed your revelation.

“There are only around 1.25 million people within these walls… Is the world really that big?” Levi asked rhetorically. He wasn’t looking at you and seems to be in deep thought.

“What are titans?” you repeated the question quietly.

Levi looked up from his musings and stared deep into yours. His eyes turned dark and distant as if replaying some gruesome memory. “They are, as you say, giant humanoids that like to eat us normal humans. And no, they can’t be reasoned with,” he added, as he saw you open your mouth to ask a question. “They can’t talk, they don’t understand you; they’re just animals that happened to resemble human beings. Big-ass human beings,”

“Are we really that tasty?” you cocked your head slightly, really curious about the answer.

“I don’t fucking know, do I look like I’ve eaten a human before?” grumbled Levi.

“They don’t eat us for energy, you know,” Hange cut in before you could retort, eager to share her knowledge on titans. “After they eat – and they eat only humans – they throw up. It’s like a cat’s hairball, only it’s made from half-digested human remains,”

“Oh… Then, if we go into hiding, they’d die out eventually, right?” you asked.

“Oi did you listen? They don’t need us to survive,” Levi interjected.

“Then why do they eat us?” you shot back.

“Because they’re assholes,” he retorted.

“Umm they don’t actually have assholes,” Hange cut in with a grin.

“Shut up,” he snapped, effectively concluding the topic.

You hid your grin. Though Levi is often stoic and irritable, his exchanges can be quite comical.

“Huh, so they appeared a hundred years ago? Where did they come from?” your musings continued.

“No one knows. Even if there were records, it’s been destroyed. Our previous king ordered all records from the outside world, even books containing information about the outside world to be burned. Such a shame,” explained Hange.

The king seems barbaric to you. Knowledge and information are the currency of the world, as you came to learn growing up. People are willing to commit horrendous acts just for the sake of obtaining or obliterating a piece of information. It suddenly clicked into place. So the king wants to hide something from the populace, eh? Perhaps you should pay him a visit sometime. He must know what madness is taking place out there, right now. It will have to be later when all your powers return.

“Why you?” Hange asked, shaking you out of your reverie. “Why were you chosen, as well the other 7?”

Oh crap, you thought. You were not ready to answer this question. You don’t trust that they won’t exploit your powers or perform experiments on you, as had been done in a time long past, a time you wish to forget. Still, you had to give them an answer or they’ll get suspicious. You sighed in defeat.

“As you know, I have healing abilities… Do you have a knife?” you asked them.

Levi was carefully judging you from where he sat. His looks screamed suspicion that you might just bury the knife in their ribcage; if you were given one, that is.

“Look, I’m… Why don’t you cut my hand with the knife, and I’ll show you,” you pleaded.

He moved to closer to where you sat and in a blur of movement, you found yourself held tight in his grip. He held your face in one of his warm, thin and calloused hand and his body pressed against you into the side of the carriage. His breath tickled your face as he growled out a warning. “If you attempt anything I will make sure you never walk again,” he said harshly.

“Levi, that’s…” began Hange. She didn’t think you would attempt anything and at the moment, she was more excited at the prospect of seeing your abilities first hand.

Levi ignored her and took out a small pocket knife hidden about his person. He proceeded to slice your palm open. You gritted your teeth in pain as ruby rivulets started to appear. As soon as they showed, though, they started to retract back into your body, as if shy of making an appearance. Within a few seconds, the cut that was made began to knit back into smooth, unblemished skin.

“Do it again!” cheered Hange excitedly.

“No! Don’t!” You protested while squirming in Levi’s grip. When you saw that he didn’t make a move, you stopped and faced him. Your noses were almost touching. Blushing, you looked away. He didn’t, but he took all your actions in, memorizing your every move. He understood why that nobleman wanted you.

Hange was disappointed. “Why not?” she roared.

“Because it hurts! Even if I _can_ heal myself, I still feel the pain,” you glared at Hange.

“Hehe, sorry, my bad, I got too excited,” she said sheepishly. “Can you regrow your limb? If it gets chopped off? Can you heal other people as well? Do you have a limit to how many times you can heal? How about poisons and diseases? Oooh does this mean you’re immortal?!” Hange was practically bouncing off her seat now.

“You’re talking too fast,” you complained as Levi released you and went back to his seat.

As Hange repeated her questions, you answered as best as you can. No, you cannot regrow your limbs. If it gets chopped off, that’s how it’ll remain unless you reattach it back within four minutes. Otherwise, the muscles will start rejecting each other and you will be better off limbless. And no, you don’t have a limit, but you need to replenish your energy every full moon (you didn’t tell them this). You are also most definitely not immortal. Sure, it’ll be harder to kill you, but yes, you will die eventually like all other human beings. You can heal and rid your body of poisons and diseases, too, and you can heal other people.

“Prove it,” challenged Levi. Without waiting for your reply, he had sliced his palm open, much as he did to you.

His blood dripped freely from his palm. You reacted on instinct and reached for his hand. Seeking your energy from the deep recesses of your mind, you pooled and channel them through your contact with him, and released your hold on the power. It took less than a second for you to release the energy, and a few seconds for the cut to heal. Levi shuddered as a foreign warmth enveloped his palm. He noticed that the moment his hand started healing, your eyes glowed momentarily blue. It didn’t fully change your eye color but rather subtly glowed around the edges of your irises.

“Don’t do that again,” you scowled as you backed away from his seat and wiping some blood off on your handkerchief.

Levi inspected his hand. There was no cut; it appeared as if there never was, save for the excess blood sticking on his wrist. “Why is there blood on mine?” He asked. He was referring to when you healed yourself, the blood retracted back into your body.

“Because I have more control on myself and my powers are always active on my own body. That means even if I was unconscious, I’d be healing myself continuously. It’s like a protective mechanism,” you clarified.

Hange’s brain was working overtime. “You’re definitely joining the Survey Corps! You have no idea how you can contribute to mankind. And we need to figure out a way to duplicate your abilities,” she said.

At this, you became apprehensive. “Let’s not, because people have tried and it didn’t work. And if you intend to experiment on me, you better think twice. _I won’t stand for it_ ,” you finished brazenly.

Hell if you were going through any experiments again. It nearly cost your sanity and your humanity.

“Oh? And what are you going to do if we want to?” grinned Hange evilly, her hands steepled.

“Then I will fight for my freedom,” you replied, inferno in your eyes.

Strong hands grasped the back of your neck and you retaliated with a swing of your arm. Levi caught your arm and brought you closer to him, not releasing his hold on your neck.

“Is that a threat, (f/n)?” he asked you. His face loomed above yours and his eyes searched your face. His was devoid of any emotion, except for the flicker of curiosity in his eyes. It was as if he was testing you, trying to push you to your limits.

“Yes,” you whispered, not backing away from the unspoken challenge.

He saw a maelstrom of emotions in your eyes – anger, determination and fear, all coiled up in one menacing beast. You will fight, no doubt about that; even if you were broken and bloodied, you will not give up till the end. This was a soul who had suffered and experienced pain and had come out alive and stronger. He saw those in your beautiful (e/c) eyes and once again, he was awed by your spirit. He wondered what made you that way.

Slowly, he released you. His gray eyes were light, and his pupils were slightly dilated. You felt as if you passed some sort of test. Hange was grinning ear to ear. “Well good, at least, you won’t be bullied,” she said.

Confused, you looked at each of them. “Hehe look out the window, (f/n). Welcome to the Survey Corps!” Hange declared cheerfully.

As you looked out, the carriage slowed. An imposing structure of stone set against the orange hues of sunset skies greeted you. Welcome indeed.

 


	5. Semblance of Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting, lovelies! I try to crank out 2 chapters in a week, but man, I have difficulties in keeping Levi in character ^^; Let me know what you think!
> 
> Oh, and we have mild lime in here ;) Enjoy!

It was a long, slow and painful day for you. As you were wiping down the wooden tables in the mess hall, wishing you were doing anything but that, you hear the solitary clip of a pair of military boots echoing down the hall.

“Are you done? The Captain wants to check,” Rebecca stood by the door frame leading into the mess hall, her voice echoing in the empty room. It was almost sundown. She looked at you with pity. “I’d help, but…” she trailed, but you understood anyway.

“Nah, it’s ok, thanks. You know what’ll happen if you help me,” you replied as you scrubbed a particularly stubborn stain off the table. “Mmm almost done, just a few more corners to wipe down – give me another – oof! –  15 minutes,” you continued, answering her original question with a huff as you bent down to wipe underneath the table.

As Rebecca walked away to report to the Captain, the newly appointed _Captain_ , you felt your mood worsen and anger clouding your thoughts. He was the reason you’re miserably cleaning the entire mess hall alone. It took you 4 goddamn hours to do so and no one was allowed to help you, on the pain of being Hange’s lab rat.

What happened? Well, you understood this language better, that’s what happened. And because he has a foul mouth. You being quite a hothead yourself, you always find yourself fighting him back, word per word. That wasn’t a problem when he was a normal soldier. Now that he’s a squad leader and the Special Operations Unit Captain, though…

Commander Shadis has finally stepped down, so Erwin Smith has taken the role of the new Commander of the Survey Corps. The last mission with Commander Shadis had been a total disaster resulting in the deaths of about a third of the Survey Corps members, which in turn resulted in a fifth of the balance running away to the Garrison. From this reduced number, Erwin has seen it fit to appoint Levi and Hange, among other people, as squad leaders. You suppose it does make sense, seeing that they’re the few senior members left.

Still, you felt that Erwin went too far as to assign Levi to watch over you as the Special Operations Unit Captain. Though you had felt a sizzle of attraction towards the short, raven-haired man, at first, it quickly evaporated as your language lessons progressed and you found how rude and condescending this man can be. You found yourself talking back to him more and more until it reaches a boiling point and you both snapped at each other.

While you didn’t like backing down from a fight, you didn’t have a choice as he holds power now. The more you fought with him, the more punishments he doled out – most of them in the form of cleaning, or rather, his idea of ‘cleaning’. The first punishment he gave was cleaning one of the larger rooms which he intended to be his office. You cleaned it within an hour. “Did you fucking wipe the floor with your ass? Maybe your shitty eyes need glasses if you can call this pigsty clean,” he’d said, disgusted. “Redo the whole thing,” and he just walked off, leaving you stunned and outraged.

Fine, maybe it’s the whole ‘military treatment’ or his idea of punishment. You sucked it up and redid the cleaning. Three times. Three times he’d checked, and all three times he’d asked you to redo it. He would have asked you to do it the fourth time, but it was almost midnight and you were ready to drop, so he’d let you go. Honestly, this guy has a serious obsession with cleanliness. So much so that you began to suspect that he might have OCD or OCPD.

As you were wiping the underside of the table, you saw a pair of boots come into view. Its footsteps were silent. The boots came around the table and you saw it belonged to none other than the man you’ve been having angry thoughts about. _Captain_ Levi.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson, (f/n),” he said sardonically, staring down at you. “I don’t have time for your little tantrums.” He began circling around the mess hall, checking every nook and cranny. You prayed that every smote of dust in existence would hide themselves at this very moment lest you were awarded a second round of cleaning.

You stood up and stretched out your cramped muscles. “If you mean I’m going take your insults quietly, then no,” you answered honestly. You started clearing away the cleaning equipment as he finished his inspection.

“Not bad this time, but I want you to clean the windows from the outside tomorrow,” he approved begrudgingly as you mentally facepalmed and groaned. “And tomorrow morning, don’t forget. Final 3DMG training with me. Don’t be late,” he said as he moved to the kitchen area. To make tea, no doubt.

“Yessir,” you said without enthusiasm. While you loved any sort of physical training, be it 3DMG, strength training or sparring sessions, you sort of dreaded any training with Levi. Not because you’re always bickering with him, or because he’s a bad teacher. Rather, it’s the fact that you couldn’t concentrate and become extremely clumsy when he’s around. That translates to embarrassing yourself epically in front of him.  Remember when you said you only had a spark of attraction for him? Well, bullshit.

He is like a sex magnet. Having a sparring session with him made you breathless as your heart threatened to burst from their confines. This is not caused by the physical exertions alone. While you sweat heavily from the fights, you always leave for the showers soaking wet, in more ways than one. He frequently wears a goddamn sexy, fitting shirt when he spars; all the wrestling and brawling with him make your knees weak, which is why you often lose. Well, who can blame you, when you can feel the contours of his hard muscles against your back, caging you, overpowering you; his powerful legs separating yours as he trapped you to the ground, rendering you immobile.

While you made a good show of fighting him seriously, oftentimes yelling empty threats and sometimes profanities at him, you enjoyed him tackling and conquering you. You suspect that you subconsciously allow him to win easily, just so you could be subjected to those intimate positions. After the sparring session, you always searched his face for any kind of sign that he might mirror your feelings (aka a closet pervert like you), but him being the king of poker face you found none.

The first time you showed up for 3DMG training you had worn those confusing belts wrongly; you stood as still as a statue and blushed profusely as he approached you, his breath hot on your neck. He had berated you for your ineptitude, while he slipped his fingers smoothly underneath the straps around your thigh, jiggling them to the correct position. His hand then trailed up your waist oh-so-sensuously, fingering the strap as he moved along, finally stopping above your chest as he corrected the buckles. His other hand meanwhile traced the strap from the back of your thigh and lightly danced over your rear before sliding underneath the straps there. You remembered biting your lip and angling your head up, exposing your neck to his lips. How you wished he’d do something more – kiss, lick, bite, anything – when he released the straps on your butt with a snap.

He backed away and started to go through the operating instructions of the 3DMG, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Why the fuck are you blushing?” Levi’s drawl cut through your dirty musings like glass. You didn’t realize he’d come back from the kitchen.

Startled, you blushed a shade deeper as he prowled closer to you. “I – I’m not blushing! It’s just the sunset!” you protested futilely.

“Hmm? You’re weird,” he said, after peering carefully at your face.  “Come, I want you to learn to make tea my way, not the watered down version that you uneducated shits like so much,” he was referring to the time you made tea with Hange. It’s not your fault that you prefer a mild brew. He drinks his tea strong, steeping the tea leaves for at least 4 minutes while you prefer it no more than 2.

You followed him to the darkening kitchen and saw that he already put a kettle to boil. He rummaged the drawer for some teaspoons and proceeded to get teacups from the cabinet overhead. As he moved in the kitchen, you couldn’t help but gawk at the sight of his muscular back moving beneath his tight-fitting shirt. Your hormones are really screwing around with your system because fuck – you’re not attracted to his personality. He’s brash, rude, condescending, impatient, cold, and he never smiles. He’s just insanely hot and your body wants him.

“Oi, you listening?” He asked, face painted with annoyance.

“What? Nope, sorry. Got a lot on my mind,”

“Like what? You look like you’re constipated,”

“Ugh, I might be, you never know,”

“Tch, whatever. Now watch, this is how you do it…” He went back to the business of making _proper_ tea and offered you tips along the way. “The water has to be boiling, not just simmering… And you want it to be this color,” the tea was a dark, rich, amber color.

“Won’t that be too bitter?” you quipped, genuinely curious about his preference.

“That’s the whole point of tea, idiot,” He replied, raising an eyebrow.

“I bet it reflects your soul,” you said snidely, convinced you won this round. “Well, I like mine this way,” you began brewing your own, only to be stopped.

“No, you’re making one for me now. This is for you,” Levi offered you the cup of tea he made.

“So that I know how to make one for you in the future?” surprised, you sipped the bitter, sugarless brew and made a face. You badly wanted to add sugar to it.

“…” His expression was saying ‘well DUH, like, obviously’.

“Fine, don’t be a jerk about it,”

“I didn’t say anything,”

“You don’t have to, your face is a natural bitchface,” you stuck out a tongue at him before brewing tea, ‘his way’.

***

You were zipping along the tall trees of the glade, breathing in the crisp morning air. You clutched your blades in a reverse grip as you approached your target. 50 meters… 30 meters… 10 meters… You sliced open the dummy target’s neck cleanly and spiraled in the air to reduce the impact on your body. You switched the 3DMG lines midair and flew off in search of the next target while keeping your eyes peeled and your hearing sharp for your elusive instructor.

He’s a sneaky one, always attacking you when you least expect it. Often times, he was the one responsible for your various injuries during training (they heal as quickly as they appeared, but still). As the next target came into view, you veered off course and silently landed on a tree branch high above the ground. This was the last target; so far Levi’s attempted to bring you down more than 7 times already, which is quite a lot compared to the previous training.

You’re not sure if this was because the day of the next mission was drawing close, or if he was still mad about last night. He’d made you do 5 cups of tea before finally being satisfied with the quality, because of your bitch face comment. Probably. Your temper wasn’t much improved, especially when he kept giving snide remarks of your tea-making ability and this lead you to ‘accidentally spill’ some of the rejected tea on him. You, of course, did the cleaning, but you were triumphantly grinning the whole time. It wasn’t every day you catch a glimpse of Levi in a clinging, wet shirt. God, you’re a pervert!

You snapped out of your daydream as you sensed movement from beneath. Activating your 3DMG, you decided you will get the better of Levi – you’re gonna slice that dummy target’s neck off, and then tackle Levi. Ha! He thinks he’s so much better than you, does he? You’ll show him.

Activating the 3DMG, you hooked the line to a nearby branch and took flight just as a green-clad figure appeared above your previous roost. The figure came down hard and immediately took off after you. You’re already far ahead, not glancing back as you know that would cost you time. You let yourself fall several meters before engaging the hook and spiraled close to the ground. Maximizing the momentum and the potential energy you have, you swung high, almost vertically upon the target. You sliced the target’s neck off in another clean cut and swiveled to another direction. You heard him before you saw him. He was coming at you from below, again. It seems that he liked that tactic. You swerved just in time; you felt the breeze from the blur of his figure as he flew past.

Sheathing your blades, you gave chase. You smirked as you saw his eyes widen in surprise. He managed to dodge you by falling towards the ground and hooking his 3DMG at the last minute. You followed suit, and damn, were you impressed by his maneuvering and agility. You mimicked his moves though you were less graceful. He had disappeared underneath a dense canopy of leaves. Knowing his fighting style, he’s probably above and behind you by now.

You feinted towards the shadows, only to turn sharply before you reach it. As you predicted, a figure came thundering down to the spot where you’ve been just a millisecond ago. Not missing a beat, you hurdled towards him and crashed on his back. “Haha!! I got you!” your triumph was short-lived, however, when both of you started free falling towards the cold, hard earth. “Whoopsie… Aaaaaah! Let go!!” You yelled as he twisted and held your arms in a vice-like grip; you’re not able to properly launch the hook in this position.

“Uwaaaaaa!!” You screamed as the brown and green earth hurtled towards you. You’re not sure if you’ll survive this, despite your healing abilities. Seconds from impact, you felt an abrupt shift in direction – a jagged, nausea-inducing sensation, as if you left half your innards behind – and then you were flying again, for a few short seconds. Then you were thrown to the cold, hard earth.

“What the fff--------- that HURTS!!” You yelled a few more expletives at him as he landed smoothly and stalked towards you. His eyes were bright and alive, his face smug and a devilish smirk was tugging at his lips. Well damn, that’s a hot look, but damn, you really wanted to flay this guy.

You launched yourself at him. “You shitty little munchkin!!”

He easily dodged you from your rage-fueled attack. You turn and aimed a kick at his head. Again he dodged and grabbed your leg.

“We’re about the same height,” he twisted your leg, making you fall. You landed on your arms and pushed the other leg to his face. His amusement disappeared as you spattered his face with a clod of wet soil. You twisted your body and pushed up. As you pushed up, you drew your legs from his grip and took a fighting stance. Well, you tried to. As soon as you stood he’d pushed you down to the ground, hands gripping your wrists above your head. You bucked your hips and flailed your legs to no avail. He was straddling you, eyes burning with anger.

You saw his dirt-stained face. “Ahahahaha!! Serves you right! Hahaha- aaaaaah!! Stop! Hahahahaha!” Your glee at his dirty face was cut short as he began tickling you. You desperately tried to stop his actions and shove him off, but he only stopped when you giggled out a beseeching “Please.” He didn’t budge from his position as you stared up at him, smiling as you calmed down from the tickling high. He averted his gaze, (in a tsundere way, mind you) not understanding the weird effect your innocent smile was having on him.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” he grumbled. “If you lose your concentration even for a second, that’s enough to get you killed,” He glared at you.

“How the fuck was I supposed to use my hands when you hold me like that?” You glared right back.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. “Like I said, you’re an idiot. That’s how it’ll be if a titan catches you in its grip. I don’t care how you do it, but you better find a way to escape if that happens, and you’ve only got a few seconds,” This time his glower was seriously frightening. “That’s an order,” He stood up.

You swallowed at the serious atmosphere. “Yes, sir.” You followed him up and back to the quarters meekly.

“Wait, Levi, so did I pass?” You’ve been training hard under Levi in the two months you’ve been with the Survey Corps so that you could join them in their expedition outside the walls. You wanted to go back to the place where they found you, to get answers, and more importantly, to get to the weapons vault. Erwin had made it a condition that you have some basic training and pass the standard set by Levi before you could officially join the Survey Corps.

“…” he stopped in his tracks. “Stay close to your squad at all times… Obey your squad leader and… don’t get killed,” he roughly ruffled your hair and continued walking.

You couldn’t suppress your grin. While you were ecstatic, you also held a modicum of caution. Even with your healing abilities, it will be dangerous. Things will be different once you get to the weapons vault, though…

“Are you coming? Or are you just going to rot there? We’ve got the damn briefing after this,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” You caught up to him and walked side by side.

“Take a shower first, you smell like shit,”

“Aren’t you one to talk. At least, I shower properly,” How anyone can shower in three minutes was beyond your comprehension. It’s just not possible.

“You mean by your hour-long disappearance? I thought you got lost into the sewers,”

“Shut up! I have a lot of things to wash,”

You both continued bickering as you walked back to the Survey Corps headquarters. This was normal between the two of you though sometimes things escalated into a full blown fight because his remarks rubbed you the wrong way or yours, him. Sometimes, though, they remain as a good-natured battle of wits and you cherish those moments because you get to learn more about the man you hold an unfathomable attraction to.


	6. Freedom Fighters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're finally ready for a mission! Unfortunately, this is also when Wall Maria gets breached and the entire Survey Corps put their life on the line to rescue the civilians. In your eagerness to fight, you managed to get yourself caught in a dire situation. Levi manages to rescue you, but will he end up as titan food himself? Muahaha I love cliffhangers :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! This is the longest chapter yet! This chapter also contains detailed descriptions of violence. You have been warned! Triggers - blood.  
> Enjoy reading! I appreciate your feedbacks :)
> 
> PS: have you guys read the manga, chapter 80? It's killing me T_T

The briefing was boring, to say the least. Erwin was merely updating the finer details of the mission, most of which did not specifically involve you. The only time you gave your undivided attention was when Hange took over the briefing and explained the pit stop at ‘Ground Zero’, the place where they found you. You suppressed a giggle at the memory of you and Hange deciding the name of the place – honorable mentions include Frontier of Humanity and Mankind’s Future Past, whatever that means. Mike suggested ‘The Place Hange’s Failed Compass Brought Us To’ while Levi just called it ‘Creepy-Ass Shithole’.

 Hange explained that a small, select squad will enter Ground Zero and retrieve whatever necessary while the rest will set a wide perimeter and stand guard. The maximum time allowed for this pit stop will be one hour; any more than that the risk will be exponentially higher. After that, the Survey Corps will move to a previously established supply center before attempting to advance the supply route.

The plan sounds effective and efficient right now, but Levi had warned you that the titans are an incalculable risk. A single deviant titan may be all that’s needed to turn the whole plan to shit.

As the briefing concluded, you held a burning desire in your heart – a desire to see the plan succeed – there is so much to be gained from this single mission. You noticed that many other cadets possess the same fire in their eyes; they’re mostly the new members. The seniors wore a hard, world-weary look.

You proceeded to carry out your assigned duties of the day before you remembered you had another chore added: the damned windows of the mess hall. Groaning, you wondered if Levi would notice if you didn’t do it. With the expedition coming in a week, the Survey Corps’ headquarters was a hive of activity. Weapons were stocked and distributed, 3DMGs were tested and serviced; horses were groomed, fed and generally readied for their journey, the supply carts loaded. Everyone had a job to do, no matter how small.

***

The day of the mission dawned bright and cold. The Survey Corps were gathered at the gates of the Shiganshina District, waiting for the hour of departure. Most of the soldiers were sitting stoically on their horses while some newer recruits were fidgeting to ease the tension and their jangled nerves. The expedition is rife with danger, after all. Not everyone assembled this morning would return.

With winter approaching, everyone was bundled warmly in their winter uniform, yourself included. You were in Levi’s squad, naturally. Levi hasn’t chosen his squad members properly, so the ones in his squad besides you right now are temporary. His finicky nature would not allow just anyone into his squad; you had gone through countless documents to find the best soldiers in the Survey Corps but due to the sheer amount of paperwork to go through, you were still not done. When Erwin asked about it, Levi blamed you for being too slow.

Fuming at the memory, you missed most of Erwin’s motivation speech. You were startled by the fervent roars of your fellow soldiers and before you know it, the gates were sliding open. You hurriedly tugged your reins and followed the company through the lofty, arched gateway, into the vast, open wilderness.

It was a sight to behold, after your months within the walls. The vista stretched endlessly into the distance, marked with the last of autumn trees and rolling hills. You were galloping at speed.

“Everyone, into formation!” Erwin barked the orders and everyone split into their ordained positions smoothly. Pretty soon, you lose sight of the right and left flanks as they spread further.

As the journey wore on, you wondered with a mixture of nervousness and excitement if you'll get to see titans today. You’ve been riding steadily southeast for about half an hour now, and not a titan in sight. Well, they always say be careful what you wish for…

“Ah, a red flare signal!” Rebecca pointed to the sky, on the right.

“(f/n), you know what to do,” Levi turned to look at you.

“Ah, right!” you fumbled with your flare gun, surprised and nervous. You checked twice to make sure you got the correct color, pointed the gun to the sky and fired.

Pretty soon you saw corresponding flares of red, all the way to the center until finally, a green flare was shot.

“Let’s move…” Levi led the change in position.

The maneuver happened another three times before you reached Ground Zero. All three times the Survey Corps successfully outran the titans.

As you approached Ground Zero, Hange’s squad merged with Levi’s. You saw the outcropping of an ancient, weather-worn building surrounded by dense vegetation in the distance. You have no memory of this place.

The first squads that reached the building didn’t stop; they flowed like water breaking around a rock, circling the decaying building to make sure no titans were hiding from sight. As positive confirmation was called out, the rest of the Survey Corps moved into position: They are to circle Ground Zero at a distance of 150 meters to guard against approaching titans. If titans appear, the squads are to engage and kill the titans to give the Retrieval Squad time to carry out their job.

The specially formed Retrieval Squad, consisting of Hange’s, Levi’s and Erwin’s squad wasted no time in entering Ground Zero.

“(f/n), lead the way,” commanded Erwin.

“I can’t!” You were panicking. “I have no memory of this place… this is not where I went into stasis,” you explained before anyone could ask.

Erwin stared at you for a few seconds. “Very well. Levi, Hange, lead the way.”

Levi took your arm and dragged you along. Too surprised to protest, you followed him down a dark, moldy staircase. There was a faint, pulsing red light reflecting off the slime-coated walls. It was eerily silent save for the scuffing of boots and Hange’s excited humming. Scratch that, Hange’s humming makes everything creepier.

When you reached the bottom of the staircase, Levi pulled you along the corridor and took a right. Here, you finally see the source of the light. The red bulb above the door was pulsing steadily. A shrill alarm should have been accompanying the pulsing light, but you suspect the sound system has long since been damaged because that’s what the lights are indicating. An alarm, a breach.

“(f/n), no matter what you see in there, remember we can’t linger,” Levi turned and spoke sternly but quietly in your ear.

You understood his message. Don’t get emotional. Focus on the mission. You nodded and took a deep breath as he pulled you through the door.

You found yourself in a cavernous room, well lit by a series of mirror reflecting a single light source. Now, this place looked familiar. In your last moments before falling into stasis you remembered scientists performing final checkups on you. Except for the debris of rocks at the back of the room, everything else was exactly as you recalled. Ah. Now you remember. You were drugged and transported here, wherever the hell this was. To protect your location, your government had taken extreme measures, which included concealing the location of this center even from yourself.

As you descended the steps, you saw the remaining cylindrical capsules containing the once-alive bodies of your comrades. Not a single one of them survived, except you. You needed to know why.

Levi led you to the furthermost capsule near the pile of rocks at the back while Hange babbled excitedly to Erwin and anyone else who would listen. Erwin doesn’t appear to be paying attention, but rather, he was awestruck by the technology found here.

 “Hange, decide which equipment gets taken back. Nothing too heavy,” Erwin began calling out orders, snapping out of it.

You stopped at a sad-looking capsule which was flat on the floor, glass broken. The boulders were almost upon this capsule; a light sprinkling of dust and earth had already begun to cover it.

“This was where I found you,” Levi had let your arm go somewhere along the way, but you didn’t notice it.

“I never properly thanked you for saving my life, so… Thank you,” you hadn’t realized how close to death you actually were. The cave-in doesn’t seem to have stabilized; in fact, the rocks looked more than ready to claim the entire room. Heck, perhaps even the entire building was at risk.

You knelt down by your capsule. Once again, you thought how lucky it was that your capsule fell sideways, grazing the rock. If it had fallen glass-side down, Levi might’ve not been able to save you. As strong as he was, you doubted he could’ve turned the heavy titanium capsule around. You punched the keys on the bottom panel of the capsule to get it working and it dawned on you what the problem was.

“We’re running out of power. This place is running on backup power generator, and it’s not gonna last much longer,”

“How much longer?” His eyes narrowed.

“2, maybe 3 hours,”

“Well, shit, get to work,” Levi unsheathed his blade and walked cautiously around.

You struggled to turn the small, square display of the capsule on, what with it being broken and in an awkward angle.  The LCD screen lit up and brought you to the startup window. It was comforting to see something familiar again. You quickly accessed the settings to look up the date.

“Wowwww, you had something like this??” Hange appeared suddenly by your side, grinning maniacally. She looked like a pent-up ball of energy; she was close to exploding from excitement.

“Yeah, we have a lot more than this. This is nothing,” you said truthfully. The screen was now projecting an error message. You had no idea why that is, so you tried again. When that didn’t work either, you closed the tab and tried another tactic. Frowning, you searched the small device and came across a countdown timer. “This ought to work…”

It worked, but you were far from ecstatic. When the screen came on, you had to shake your head and look again. The numbers were there, all right, but it doesn’t make sense:

COUNTDOWN: 20 YEARS              STATUS: ACHIEVED

107:03:12:05:13

!ERROR! CAPSULE LOCKED !ERROR! CODE301

As you watched, the figures moved. 13… 14… 15…

It was counting the seconds. What do the other numbers stand for then? Holy shit. Holy motherfucking shit. 107 years? It can’t be…

You were shocked into silence. Your mind couldn’t comprehend it. But then, it would make sense why everyone else died and you almost died. The stasis was meant for 20 years. The liquids provide life-sustaining nutrients and oxygen indefinitely, as long as there was power, and the mini-nuclear generator had only enough energy to run for about 96 years. Once power began running out… you looked up to see Hange speaking to you, but you couldn’t make out the words. Everything was beginning to blur.

Everyone here was selected for their special powers and fighting aptitude. Not one of you possessed the same power as another. So you, the only person with healing abilities… were the only survivor. How ironic, to have this power and yet not being able to save anyone.

‘SLAP!’

A stinging pain hit your cheek and you froze. A pair of hands roughly grabbed you by the shoulder and started shaking you. “Snap out of it! (F/n)!”

Stormy gray eyes locked you in place. “(F/n), what…?” His eyes softened as a tear slid down your cheek. You grabbed him in a fierce hug, burying your face in the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent. After two deep breaths, you let him go. He looked bewildered. “(F/n)…”

“Sorry… I’m,” taking a shaky breath, you continued. “We were at war. There must be a room full of weaponry, and that room is not here.” Your tone was cold, clinical.

“Then all these..?” Hange cocked her head, confused.

“This place is meant to house us until we wake. It’s mostly medical equipment in here. The other passages, have you checked them?” You asked, remembering the other two corridors.

“No, let’s go. Erwin! We’re going to check the other rooms,” Hange called out and arranged several people to follow.

“Ok, meet back upstairs in 20 minutes,” Erwin was staying to overlook the remaining task of untangling wires and carrying out some smaller equipment.

Levi led the group out into the corridors, occasionally glancing at you from the corner of his eyes to make sure you were OK. The pulsing red light was beginning to creep you out and you shivered from the cold. As you reached the fork between the corridors, it was decided that you guys would split up, as the time limit was approaching, fast.

“Give us a yell if you find it,” Hange waved cheerily as she and her squad members disappeared down the left corridor.

“Likewise, shitty glasses,” Levi stalked down the middle corridor, followed by you and three other squad members.

***

Turns out the corridor you took led to the nuclear generator compound, which was a waste of time considering you refused to step inside. Even though there were hazard suits available, you were not going to risk getting exposed to radiation. Not only the Uranium has no doubt completely decayed, the hazard suits were covered with a substantial amount of dust; Levi was eyeing them with utter revulsion. You  ** _do not_**  want to spend whatever precious time you have left on cleaning some suits.

Hange and her squad meanwhile were having much better luck than you did. They found the weapons vault, all right, and she wanted to carry everything back, which was just not practical. There were guns –pistols, shotguns, miniguns, machine guns, ray guns, rocket launcher, grenades, even a nitrogen gun – anything, you name it. And then there were the motley collection of blades – swords made from the whitest steel: sharp as a whip yet flexible like a sapling; katanas and short swords all hung side by side. And then there were cabinets full of shurikens, kunai, throwing knives and the like.

These weapons were not meant to fight titans, but humans. Still, these would be a great collection to bring back, because humanity has lost so much of the technology and the skills required to produce them. This was a heritage of what once was. As Hange loaded the last of the weapons, you appeared with Levi and the rest. There were only 5 minutes left before you have to leave, but you were determined to get in and find  _it._

You didn’t know where to start looking, so you delved right into the back of the vault. You frantically searched for a clue of where your personal weapon might be, but Levi was calling you already.

“Come on, you idiot, we have to move  _now_!” He was coming to get you.

Shit. Shit.  _Shit!_  You ran from his approaching footsteps.

“What the fuck, (f/n)!” he yelled out your name and started chasing you.

As you ran and ducked between the shelves, you kept your eyes peeled. Nope, not there, not here either, THERE! You halted abruptly as you saw your black blade suspended in a glass case. Dark as midnight, the weapon was sheathed in an ebony scabbard, the dirty gold hilt decorated with a single radiant diamond the size of an egg. As you sprinted towards the case, a figure crashed and tackled you to the ground. It was Levi, and he’s not very happy.

“What the  _fuck_  are you playing at,” he hissed at you, grabbing the hair at the back of your head painfully.

“Ouch, fuck, Levi that hurts!” You whined at him. He ignored you and pulled you up.

“Wait! Levi, I need to get that sword! It’s my sword!” you were desperately scrabbling towards the glass case.

To your surprise, he let you go. You spared a glance at him before running for your sword. The glass case was locked, but you easily opened it by scanning your thumbprint and retina. You hurriedly sling the sword over your back, clasping the metal buckle securely.

“Now are you done?” he asked, seemingly unimpressed by the technology.

“Yes – ouch, Levi I can walk on my own,” you complained as he grabbed your arm and made for the door.

 

As you trooped back into the sunshine, Erwin was already waiting with the rest of the squad. A runner from Mike’s squad was reporting to Erwin.

“None at all, Sir! A titan has been sighted earlier but ignored us. It appears to a deviant, Sir!”

Erwin seems to be deep in thought. “Very well, then we will resume the mission. Back to your position, cadet,” as he finished his sentence, he shot off a green flare, signaling the success of the Retrieval Squad.

The Retrieval Squad broke up into their original team and surrounded the newly loaded cart carrying items from Ground Zero.

“Protect the cart at all cost!” commanded Erwin as he sped off to spear the entire formation once again. The destination is now the 5th supply center which was just recently established a few months prior.

All units were once again in a formation and were headed southwest. Not 10 minutes has passed when you spotted a black flare.

“A deviant! Levi?” you questioned, slightly excited yet nauseous. This might be your chance to actually slay a titan and show the results of your arduous training.

“Leave that to the right flank! We’ll press on,” Levi yelled back, the wind whipping his bangs every which way. 

Before you could even feel disappointed, Rebecca spotted another flare.

“Another black flare! On the left!” She shouted. This time, the flare was much closer, and you could see a humanoid figure in the distance, swarmed by flies.

Wait… hang on. You shook your head and squinted. Those flies were your comrades. Wow. Shit.

You were galloping at breakneck speak, trusting the other squads to be able to deal with the deviant titan. Your heart was hammering in your chest now. What’s with all these abnormal titans? It’s normally rare to even encounter one, according to Hange.

“Everyone, on your guard! Prepare to switch to 3DMG!” Levi barked the orders brusquely.

As you looked to the sky above and in front of you, you saw the reason why. This expedition was slowly turning into a nightmare. In front of you, three new flares were shot in the sky. They were all black.

“What on earth…” you muttered, dread forming in the pit of your stomach. Still you continue to gallop forward. As you moved past a cluster of trees, you came upon a sight you could barely comprehend. Slick, fresh blood, and scattered limbs drenched the soil around the giant, deformed figures that vaguely resemble humans. Your comrades were buzzing and zipping around the titans like bees, cutting the titans, or getting cut down by titans. A metallic tang filled the air; fierce battle cries and horrified screams mixed together into a cacophony of terror and confusion.

You reined your horse as a headless torso tumbled from the sky onto your path. Warm blood splattered your face. You froze for a second, as did the titan who was gleefully chewing on a head. The head fell to the wet earth with a soft ‘plop’ as the titan’s hideous face contorted. Its malicious grin widened for a second, before hinging its jaw open impossibly wide. With a sickening comprehension, you realized it was aiming for you.

“(F/n)!!” Levi bellowed even as you engaged your 3DMG and flew straight up. There was a terrible crunch as your horse was severed neck down, the rest of its body crushed in a smear of flesh and broken bones under the titan’s body. A tremendous amount of guilt and remorse filled you at your horse’s undue death, and it was your fault. You pushed the feeling down as you took stock of the situation properly. Around you, people are fighting and dying. Fight now, feelings can come later.

You hooked your 3DMG on the titan’s back and plunged down, intending to cut its nape when it suddenly turned, baring its blood-stained teeth. Reflexes took over and you released the hook and shot off in another direction, barely missing the snap of its jaw. Immediately you swiveled in the air and shot the hook onto its back again. This time, you managed to slash its nape.

Your only mistake was to not take off the moment you killed the titan. A blurred form hit you so fast and hard from your right, you wondered if your bones were broken from the impact. It took you a moment to realize you were flying smoothly away – it wasn’t a titan that crashed into you, it was Levi. Beautiful, angry Levi. You looked back to the titan that you slew. Another titan had lodged its head on where you had been seconds ago. If Levi hadn’t rescued you, healing powers or not, you’d probably be squashed dead like a bug.

“Round up the wounded, heal them,” he said shortly, glaring at you in rebuke as you both landed near a knot of trees.

Your first reaction was to protest. Did he think you were incompetent? It felt as if you had failed somehow. But then, you realized, this was a task only you could perform – this was your power, after all. Well, one of them. You gritted your teeth in frustration, wondering when your offensive power would return. Your healing abilities had always been on autopilot, but your other power needs a little activating, and you weren’t sure how to go about it.

You nodded at him and started searching for a spare horse. Levi meanwhile had already engaged his 3DMG. You got on a random horse and looked around you. There were still 8 more titans, but 3 of them were going past all of the grouped Survey Corps towards the north. It was as if the titans didn’t realize there were humans around them. In fact, the Survey Corps had to chase them down. This made the job easier and in no time, the three were down. Five more to go.

You sped up and rode amongst the carnage, searching for movement. You stopped here and there, checking to see if some of the intact bodies lying prone on the ground were still alive. Those that were, you healed while those that aren’t… well, you’re not a necromancer, so there’s nothing you can do for them.

As the last titan was taken down, more of the wounded were gathered. You sped towards them and began healing them all when you felt the silence pressing in. It was weird because there was always the background noise – the wind, the footsteps, the whiz of 3DMG, shouts – but now all movements have ceased. You paused in your labor and looked up. Everyone was standing still, staring at the horizon. More titans were approaching.

Tall, short, fat, spindly, running, crawling – all manner of titans were appearing over the distance. You doubted it was a normal occurrence, based on everyone’s reaction.

“Looks like our asses are royally screwed. Erwin?” Levi asked the tall Commander.

“Hange, what do you make of this?” While Erwin had a suspicion of what draws them, he wanted confirmation from Hange.

“They can’t all be Abnormals, the percentage doesn’t fit. It looks as if they’re headed for the Wall,” Hange spoke anxiously. “They don’t normally go to the wall in masses like this, so that means – ”

“Something is calling them?”

“Yes, something stronger than just the bunch of us,”

“What – ”

“It sounds impossible, but… the Wall might be breached,”

 

***

You were riding back to the Wall swiftly with the remaining members of the Survey Corps. Maximum protection was given to the supply and weapons carts as well as the rear flank. An abnormal titan was closely following the Survey Corps but Erwin’s orders were absolute: do not stop until we reach the Walls.

The towering Wall soon came into view after about 40 minutes of hard riding. Even from afar, things looked far from good. Thick, black smoke was curling to the heavens behind the wall enclosing Shiganshina District. As you approached, you noticed a gaping, cave-like hole where the massive gates stood just this morning. Titans were swarming around the gates like badly behaving children pushing each other in a line.

“Forward!!” the sight did not deter Erwin’s burning spirit.

One by one, the Survey Corps flew from their mount and started cutting down the titans as they neared the wall. Some titans did not pay attention to the Survey Corps. Instead, they were eagerly anticipating the meals they could have within the walls. These were easier to kill. The ones that did pay attention were the ones you had to watch out for.

“Clear the gates! Mike, Levi!” Erwin barked the orders.

Mike’s and Levi’s squad flew over the wall to the other side and started disposing of the titans nearby the gate. As you cut down a 5-meter titan, the sight of the ruined city hit you like a ton of bricks. It was surreal; it was the stuff of nightmares, or an 18sx version of Ultraman, without Ultraman. Houses and buildings were in ruins. Fire and smoke accompanied the chaos of human’s desperate bid for survival as titans rummaged the ruins for humans trapped underneath the rubble.

With difficulty, you tore your eyes from the destruction and focused on the task at hand. As Nanaba slew the last titan within a 100-meter radius of the gates, Mike shot off a green flare. The supply and weapons cart trundled into view, followed by many more soldiers on horseback. Others flew over the wall like you did.

You went on ahead towards the center of the devastated city, aiming to kill the titans that were so happily munching on Shiganshina’s citizens. As you deposed of two 3-meter class titans, you looked around to find survivors when you noticed that the titans were still moving towards Wall Maria.

“Hange! Look! The gates…” you called out to Hange who was kicking a titan’s decapitated head with vengeful delight. You spotted something that turned your insides to ice. Wall Maria’s gates were destroyed, broken. And much like the gates to Shiganshina, the titans were casually strolling in for their lunch of humanity.

The Garrison was desperately firing canons at the approaching titans but to no avail. The canons were ineffective at killing titans and even if they were any good, the numbers were just overwhelming. Plus, the 100 years of peace had dulled the Garrison’s fighting capabilities.

“Fuck no!”

“We’re doomed!”

“I ain’t gonna let them eat my family!!”

Numerous declarations and anguished shouts were voiced by your fellow soldiers upon seeing the state of the gates.

“Soldiers! We now have two objectives. First, get the carts in, and get them all the way to Wall Rose. Second, we are to assist the Garrison to evacuate the civilians. Kill any titans that go near the river jetty! Go!” Erwin was quick to gather his thoughts and execute a new strategy.

At his command, the Survey Corps split into two groups: a smaller party will escort the supply and weapons cart all the way to the Survey Corps’ second headquarters within Wall Rose while the rest proceeded to kill as many titans as possible, to give time for the civilians to vacate the city. Some squads were assigned to clear the inner walls, while Levi’s, Mike’s, Hange’s, Erwin’s and a few other squads stayed in Shiganshina to prevent more titans from entering Wall Maria. A green flare from the other side will signal evacuation process’s completion.

You were on top of a 4-storey watchtower, surveying the area around you. There were easily 10 titans in the immediate area around you. You had somehow gotten separated from everyone else and the titans were slowly but surely surrounding you. ‘How did you end up in this shit?’ you screamed internally. Well, you knew why, and that is because you were a rebellious piece of ass that thinks she can take on anything, so thus you disobeyed your Captain’s orders to move towards the wall and instead chose to scour the city for survivors.

“Oh, fuck this shit!” you yelled in frustration, as a 5-meter abnormal with an oversized head started jumping to get to you. You visualized your moves before leaping off the watchtower and started slaying the titans.

One. A clean cut to the nape. You didn’t stop but swirled to lessen the impact and banked left as a hand shot up to grab you. You flew low to the ground between the abandoned shops, coming up at the last minute and slashing two titans in a row. Three. You shot your hook to the top of the watchtower again and flew in a massive arc and killed two more. Five. You leaped instantly from the watchtower as the abnormal jumped and crunched the roof when you landed, barely missing your left leg.

You tumbled ungracefully onto a nearby building, your head hitting the rooftops sharply. A shower of shrapnel and dust enveloped you. The watchtower was in rubbles.

Seven. Levi had arrived to help you. Eight. Rebecca and a few others managed to bring down a titan. You discarded your dulled blades and drew a new set. Nine. Levi cut down a titan that was close to your location. Where was the abnormal?

You stood up slowly on wobbly legs. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Levi was flying fast towards you, arm outstretched. Why was he looking at you like that? A huge shadow blocked the sunlight. You turned and saw a huge, grinning face looking down at you. You thought it was going to laugh; it was opening its mouth so wide now. Its putrid breath rolled in fogs towards you, knocking back some sense into you, and knocking you back as well. Time resumed its normal pace.

Rough hands gripped your arm, almost wrenching it from its socket. You were thrown roughly away from the roof like a ragdoll and crashed through one of the windows on the lower story, landing face up. You looked up just in time to see the abnormal titan swallowing Levi whole.

That can’t be real. No. NO! “LEVI!!” you screamed, tears springing to your eyes. Your back was stiff and you got up with difficulty, like an old maid.

Rebecca and the others were already surrounding the abnormal, fighting it with fury. The titan chomped on one, and another. Only Rebecca was left fighting. You launched your hook, chasing the abnormal.

“Rebecca, get away!” You shouted at her. You saw the trajectory the titan was taking will end up in her death. Rebecca heeded your advice and flew through one of the broken windows. The abnormal smashed into the building, hands clawing for prey. As you zoomed in on the abnormal, you felt your back grew hot. Without thinking, you drew your ebony blade from its scabbard on your back, swung it over your head and plunged it deep into the titan’s nape. The diamond was ablaze with an inner light.

A familiar power surged within you, setting your veins on fire. You channeled the explosive power through the blade, instantaneously killing the titan. Its body shone brightly before exploding into a cloud of ashes, leaving its skeletal remains behind, along with the contents of its meal. You made eye contact briefly with a very surprised Levi, who seems to be trying to hack his way out from the titan’s stomach with his blades.

Your eyes rolled back into your skull as darkness took over. Whoopsie. Looks like you expended too much energy in that single attack.

A pair of hot, dirty and slimy hands caught you as you fell to the ground. You didn’t hear his voice desperately calling you to wake up.

 


	7. Authority

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you deal with the repercussions of your actions - Levi is in charge of your punishment, naturally ;)
> 
> Graphical descriptions of gore & violence  
> Limes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry it took longer than expected! This was a hard chapter for me to write - I deleted and rewrote some parts, ughhhh Anyway enjoy reading!
> 
> Graphical descriptions of gore & violence  
> Limes

You awoke to the muffled sounds of chaos and smoky air. With a popping sound, the noise rushed back into your head loud and clear. Emergency bells were clanging non-stop, accompanying the far-off cacophony of tormented screams and grievous cries. You were laid on a stretcher on top of the walls. You dizzily got to your feet and spun unstably before catching sight of something that makes sense – three massive vessels packed to the brim with people were slowly making their way upstream to Wall Rose.

The fourth and last ship launched successfully and steadily made its way from the jetty, catching up with its brethren slowly. Most members of the Garrison were still running around loading the cannons and firing them, only if to stall the titans. You gazed down at Shiganshina. The last soldiers were slowly retreating towards the wall. Some of them were carrying the wounded. Turning around, you walked to the temporary camp for the wounded atop the wall. You wasted no time tending the injured, giving more attention to those with severe injury.

It’s good that your healing powers are not of the same energy as your attacking powers, or else you’d be useless right now. While you tried to remain inconspicuous every time you healed someone, it’s hard to hide your powers from people outside the Survey Corps as per Erwin’s orders.

As you healed an unconscious soldier with a severe gash on his abdomen, you heard the whispers starting behind you.

“What’s going on?”

“How is she doing that?”

“Who is she?”

“I should bring her to me Ma,”

“She’s actually an angel, right?”

The skin knit itself back together and became smooth without any blemish. You stood up to go to the next patient only to find yourself surrounded by onlookers. They were looking at you with a mixture of fear, awe and suspicion.

“Make way!! Injured person coming through! Make WAY, I say, what the hell’s going on?” Moblit was carrying a soldier who was clinging dearly to life. His right leg was dangling uselessly and at a _very_ wrong angle. Blood was gushing out, painting the ground scarlet.

“(F/n)! You’re up! Please…” Moblit pleaded wordlessly with you.

Erwin’s orders be damned. Moblit laid him on the ground and you set to work. You tore his already shredded pants wider, so you could have access to the injury. Your hands were slick with blood in a matter of seconds. Amidst the mess of red flesh, you saw white bone sticking out.

‘This is gonna hurt,’ you thought as you righted the position of his foot and aligned his broken bones. With a surge of warmth, you released the power and watched soundlessly as the man’s flesh and bones mended. It was over in 15 seconds, but you kept your restorative powers flowing into his body to counter the shock his body was going into. Slowly, the color returned to his previously pale, lifeless face and his breathing evened out. You wiped your hands clean on his shirt.

 At this point, the crowds were no longer whispering but shamelessly launched into torrents of conversations and calls.

“Hey, can you fix my shoulder? I kinda sprained it,”

“Can you heal my dad? He’s always coughing,”

“How about me, I’ve got this weird allergy…”

The requests mixed together into one giant, fuzzy, indistinct noise as the crowd of soldiers converged, no longer focusing on you but fighting each other as to who should get your healing treatment first.

You sunk to your knees, clapping your hands over your ears to block the noise. For some reason, you felt dizzy and terribly, terribly hungry. Moblit anxiously looked at you and tapped your shoulder gently to get your attention. He was already carrying the healed soldier over his shoulder and motioned to you to slip away from the crowd. Before you could do so, however, a thunderous voice boomed over the din.

“ENOUGH!!” It was Erwin, and he was looking uncharacteristically annoyed.

The noise stopped abruptly. Some of the gathered soldiers silently slipped from the edges of the crowd, trying to get away from trouble.

“If you bunch of slackers want to be titan food, line up here and I’ll personally deliver you to them,” the comment was delivered scathingly by Levi. His ever-present frown was more pronounced as he stared with menace at the bunch that was, in his opinion, not taking their duties seriously.

“But Sir, this – ” A squad leader from the Garrison began to speak, only to squeak and fall silent as he got the full brunt of Levi’s glower.

“My apologies, Commander Erwin. Soldiers! Get back to work! Load the cannons for a final round!” another squad leader, perhaps a bit smarter, saluted to Erwin and ordered the crowd to disperse.

You weren’t sure how to act as Erwin and Levi approached. You looked up at Erwin’s inscrutable expression and Levi’s irritated face.

“Erwin, I’m sorry… It’s not eas- ” you started to explain yourself, but Erwin interrupted you.

“It’s all right. I knew this would happen sooner or later, just not this soon,” he assured you. “Be prepared,” he continued cryptically.

“Are you really letting her off the hook? She disobeyed your order, and mine, too,” Levi shot daggers at you as you got slowly to your feet.

“Levi, there were people underneath the ru-” again you were cut short. This was getting annoying.

“And look where that fucking got you,” he sneered at you. “I don’t fucking care what your bloody fucking reason is, you have to follow your squad leader’s orders, or you risk getting other people killed!!” He was now inches apart from you; despite that he was still scolding you at full volume.

Some people stopped to look, apprehension on their faces. Others hurried by, afraid that the Captain’s wrath might accidentally hit them, much like a shrapnel flying from a hurricane.

You were upset now. Saving lives in a titan-infested city will of course have risks! Besides, nobody was near the disintegrating building where a family was taking refuge in. You only cleared the way for them before you found yourself mysteriously surrounded. If you had obeyed the orders, they might have died by the time someone else came to help.

“Oh? Giving excuses now, are we, (f/n)?” Levi looked down darkly at you.

Crap. You said all that to him in your rage. Fighting down your trepidation, you looked defiantly back at him.

“My word is law. If you can’t obey, then you can fucking LEAVE!” at that last word, he kicked a nearby crate, splintering it into a million pieces.

Shocked, you put up your hand to shield yourself from the flying bits of wood. You glared at him, not knowing what to say. He was right, in a way; leaders exist so long as people obey them. Still, you were too furious to admit your blunder.

He turned to leave, sending one last disgusted look at you. That did it.

You sprung on his back, attacking him, clawing him. He spun, surprised at first but reflexes took over. He kicked your legs, aiming to bring you down. You evaded and punched his face. He rolled his head along with the punch to reduce the impact and grabbed your flailing arms. Frustrated, you launched yourself at him, head-butting him on the forehead. At that, you lost your footing, crashing into him and sending you both to the ground.

Levi quickly rolled over so that he was on top and restrained you with his strong, wiry arms. “Ron! Remove her gear and bring some rope!” Levi barked at one of the soldiers.

You wriggled in his grasp and bucked your hips in an attempt to get him off you but it was useless. It was like trying to overthrow an avalanche of rocks. He would not let you gain advantage even if you were as slippery as a fish.

Levi tied your arms and legs, confiscated your gear and your sword. You screamed profanities at him as you tried to sit up.

He looked down at you. He slowly removed his white, fluttering cravat and wiped his sweating forehead with it. He smirked at you as he crouched down beside you and promptly stuffed your mouth with his dirty, sweaty cravat.

That shut you up, but you promised revenge with your eyes.

***

The long, sickening ride was almost reaching its end. You rubbed your sore wrists, having finally been set free by a sympathetic soldier. Levi hadn’t spared you so much as a single glance since he had unceremoniously dumped you on a horse cart earlier.

You sighed and raked your fingers through your (h/c) hair. You regretted that action immediately, as your hand came in contact with various questionable things, like cakes of dried blood, mud, and other unidentifiable things. You shuddered, suddenly itching for a bath. You doubted you’d get one anytime soon, seeing as the condition of life, in general, at the moment, is less than agreeable.

The throng of civilians flooded the city of Trost and eventually the gates of Wall Rose sowing chaos, almost causing a stampede at one point. On top of that or maybe because of, some citizens of Trost were less than welcoming to the thousands upon thousands of refugees, not willing to share the already limited space in the city.

The Garrison was tasked with herding everyone to hastily erected camps within Wall Rose, near the Trost Garrison Barracks. The camps were spread out over acres of land. Some opted to stay in Trost, despite the frosty glares sent by its citizens. Capable members of the Survey Corps meanwhile were on guard on top of the wall, keeping a lookout for titans.

You, on the other hand, stripped of your gear, walked about freely, giving a helping hand to whoever needed it, consoling small children and occasionally treating a sick or injured person discreetly. All the while you were feeling a terrible, gnawing hunger in your stomach. Your vision kept swimming.

Hours later, when everyone finally got through the gates of Wall Rose, were you soldiers allowed to move on. The gate of Trost was closed with a resounding boom, sealing humanity within an ever shrinking cage. As Erwin called the Survey Corps to group and begin the trek back to another headquarters within Wall Rose, Levi realized you weren’t on the horse cart.

“Tch, troublesome brat,” he muttered to himself as he stopped his horse and waited for everyone to file past him. When the last soldier rode past without any sign of you, he began to get worried. He didn’t like being worried so that means he got angry and frustrated as well.

He looked to the train of soldiers basked in the reddish-orange glow of the setting sun. Most of them didn’t look back; they were eager to get home, wherever that is, to get some much-needed rest. Erwin was already far ahead. So was Hange. Looks like he’s on his own.

He urged his horse back towards Trost with a scowl. This woman is really troublesome, he thought.

Only when he neared the gates did he realize what a daunting task lay ahead. How was he supposed to find you amidst all those crowds? He didn’t know if you had deserted the Survey Corps, if you were kidnapped or if you had fainted in a street somewhere. His limbs felt like lead, but he forced himself to march on.

Somehow luck was on his side. As he reached the Garrison outpost, meaning to ask for assistance (rather, to command them to find you), he bumped into a runner who was rushing out from the command center.

“Ah! My bad – C-Captain! I’m s-so-sorry,” the young man stuttered, saluting Levi. “Captain, I was just about to ride after your company. We found a soldier of the Survey Corps in Trost who…”

Levi had stopped listening as soon as he heard the word found. He pushed through into the room and wildly looked about. There was no sign of you, just a bunch of the Garrison higher-ups seated around a large meeting table.

“That was fast,” someone commented, eyebrow raised.

“Where is she?” Levi asked in a controlled voice, not betraying the torrent of emotions surging beneath his calm façade.

“Over there,” Levi was showed to a small room to the side. You were resting peacefully on the leather sofa.

Relief washed over him at the sight of your unharmed figure. He quickly got anxious again as you didn’t respond to his calls and shakes, much like before.

“(F/n), wake the fuck up, stop fucking sleeping at a time like this you dumb shit! Fuck!” he punched the wall beside the sofa and breathed heavily. He knelt down and dropped his head beside yours, tired and frustrated. If you were any other soldier, he wouldn’t be having this much… _feeling_. He didn’t know when you started affecting him so much; you made him worried, angry, and a lot of things he couldn’t really identify. Though he had only known you for a few short months, he felt like he’d known you for years, and that familiarity was frightening him. His heart felt light throughout the time he’d spent with you, and he especially enjoyed provoking you. He just wanted you to wake up so he can punish you, was that too much to ask?

“Levi?” your voice was small and weak. Levi lifted his head slowly, unsure if he had imagined your voice.

“(F/n),” he whispered, his pale face inches from yours. You could count his individual eyelashes.

“Water… and food… need energy…” you murmured feebly.

He hurriedly searched for a clean cup of water and put them to your lips. As for food, he only had the dry, brittle field provisions, which you chewed on gratefully.

He didn’t wait for you to finish but instead carried you outside, piggyback. He nodded his thanks to the Garrison soldiers.

“Don’t spill anything on me,” he warned as he got on his horse with you. “Hold on,” he called out before urging the horse to canter away, joining the faraway trail of weary soldiers.

You felt a surge of strength as you finished your field provision. You hugged him tighter as he increased the horse’s pace, the cold dusk wind whipping at your face. “Thank you,” you murmured softly to his ear and laid your head on his shoulder, exhaustion claiming you once more.

“I’m adding to your punishment, _brat_ ,” he answered quietly. He was calm now that you were safely in his arms.

***

Your punishment starts today. It was three days since you came back from the expedition and you had been kept busy by a lot of things – there were still some injured soldiers to be taken care of, papers to file, reports to complete, and since this was a different headquarter, you had to get settled down as well. Hange offered to share her quarters with you, but you had quickly declined, knowing you’ll never have a peaceful moment if you accepted. You won’t even be safe in your sleep, quite possibly.

There were lots of rooms available, though, since the mission wasn’t without loss, so you didn’t have any trouble picking one until Levi nosed in. He made you choose a room that was close to his quarters, for ‘monitoring purposes’. You had bickered with him, even calling him a pervert at one point until he threatened to double your punishment.

You walked up the spiral staircase to his office on the third floor, which was conjoined with his private quarters and a personal bathroom and shower, which you were envious of.

You rapped smartly on his door and announced yourself. “(F/n)(L/n), reporting for er, punishment?”

“Come in,” came his muffled voice.

You walked inside briskly and stood stiffly in front of his big, mahogany desk and waited for him to finish writing his documents. Seconds stretched into uncomfortable minutes and the silence was broken only by the scratching of Levi’s quill. You cleared your throat quietly but didn’t say anything. If this is how he’s going to play… fine.

You stood for about 10 minutes more before he finally cleared his desk, at which point your mind was wandering aimlessly. You noticed how spartan his office was, with no personal mementos on display save for a section of a glass cabinet displaying a tea set. You snapped to attention when he stood up from his chair and walked up to you. Your heart rate increased as he stood close, somber gray eyes peering down carefully at you. You kept your gaze straight ahead as he began circling you slowly.

“So,” he began softly, breath hot on your neck. “How should I punish you, hmm?” his voice was silky and had a dangerous edge, which sent tingles down your spine.

“Erwin’s given me permission to discipline you on his behalf as well,” he began twirling his fingers around your (h/c) hair.

When you stayed silent, he grabbed your hair harshly and jerked your head back. “I asked you a question, (F/n), have you lost your fucking voice?” his voice was still soft, but the menace was there.

“I don’t know, didn’t you prefer me to clean?” you replied bitingly.

“Well, you never fucking learn, so I’m going to make sure you suffer this time,” he purred threateningly in your ear and let go of your messed-up hair. He walked to his desk and leaned on it, facing you.

“Run 30 laps first thing in the morning every day. By 6am, I expect you to ready my breakfast and morning tea. Clean the stables twice a week, and as for the rest of the headquarters, I’ll let you know when and which part to clean. Clean my office and my room every day. Kitchen duty every evening. Any questions?” he rattled off his instructions with a poker face.

You gaped at him. “And when will I have time to train?”

“You won’t,” his eyes glowed with vengeful satisfaction. “You’re suspended for two weeks.”

“And (F/n), I suggest you start addressing me properly and respectfully, or else…” he cocked his head at you, as if thinking.

“Or else what?” you spat at him. It can’t get any worse, can it?

He slid off his desk and grabbed your neck. He spun you sideways and held you firmly; your boobs were squished against his arm. He bent you slightly over his knee, making your ass go up in the air.

‘SLAP!’ his hand landed powerfully on your ass cheeks.

“Levi! No, stop!” you protested in pain and humiliation.

He spanked you again. “See? You have shit for brain,”

“Levi! I swear –ah! No!” you moaned in pain as he continued spanking you, tears flowing freely as the pain builds up. Just as you thought you were becoming numb to the pain, he hit you again and brought up the pain level.

“Please, stop,” you sobbed.

Levi halted his motions. “What the fuck should you call me?” he asked harshly.

“Cap-tain,” you spoke haltingly, not wanting to give in.

“Should I continue?”

“No, please don’t…”

SMACK! “Please don’t what?”

“Please don’t, Sir,” you sobbed out in defeat.

You fell to the floor as he let you go.

“You can start by cleaning the stables and kitchen duty today. Dismissed.” He said curtly and left to his room.

It was a few minutes before you got off the floor. You wiped your face clean and nursed your bruised ego before finally making way dejectedly to the stables. You were angry and humiliated, but you badly wanted to get into Levi’s good books again, despite everything. Does Levi forbidding you to call him by his name mean that he was distancing himself from you? That thought was painful, like a blade to your heart.

 

***

 

The first few days of your suspension was spent resentfully, though you managed to fulfill your duties without getting any complaints from Captain Dickhead. There was one time where he wasn’t satisfied with the breakfast you delivered, though, because he was so particular about everything. You, on the other hand, were tired from running laps and from the previous day’s workload so you couldn’t care less about it. That resulted with you commenting spitefully at him and getting another round of spanking.

You were more careful after that, resorting to passive-aggressive tactics that would infuriate him. You acted sickeningly innocent and sweet whenever he got mad, which further aggravated him because he knows exactly what you’re playing at. He’d often storm away from you after such incidents with a glare that could potentially kill a titan 50 meters away.

After one such episode, he stalked away from the small library furiously, almost knocking down Hange who was carrying a mountain of scrolls in her arms.

“Watch it, you shithead,” he barked and violently banged the door close.

“Whoaaa he’s more pissy than usual. What the heck did you do?” Hange addressed you.

You were up on a ladder, cleaning the upper shelves with a small, self-satisfied smirk on your face.

“Nothing, really,” you began, getting off the ladder to help Hange with the scrolls.

“I just pretended to be a bimbo and messed up his cleaning supplies. _And_ his tea,” you giggled as Hange raised her eyebrows and looked at you expectantly.

“You know how he keeps his tea in the kitchen cabinet? Did you notice that there was a jar of chili flakes nearby as well?” you wiggled your eyebrows.

“(F/N) You did NOT!! Hahahahah!!” Hange laughed, banging her fist on the table, completely forgetting that this was a library.

“Oh my god, wow, you’ve got some guts,” Hange finally sighed, wiping her tears away.

“I just added the flakes into the tin, you know, it’s not like he knows who could’ve done it,” you shrugged nonchalantly. “He shouldn’t have touched my arse,” you growled, at which Hange giggled again.

“He does have an unhealthy obsession with shit jokes, it makes me think that he’s an ass man,” Hange’s eyes twinkled with glee.

“Are you saying he likes my butt?”

“Yes, but to like someone’s butt he must like the person first,”

“That’s ridiculous! Have you seen how he treats me?”

“You haven’t seen how he looks at you,”

“Right, with a death stare,” You rolled your eyes and got back to work. Hange suddenly got pensive.

“Hmm, (F/n)! Can you help me catalog these scrolls? I just remembered that I have a very important errand to run! Thank you (F/n)!!” Hange had suddenly jumped from her chair and gotten excited. She had that look in her eyes where you just know she’s planning something devious. You hoped it’s got nothing to do with you and waved as she scurried away.

 

Later that day, Levi received a mysterious parcel on his doorstep. He never really liked surprises. He prodded and shook the soft, shapeless parcel before finally deciding to open it.

“What the fuck is this?” he muttered as the contents fell out.

***

 

The morning run was cold, as usual, though you detected something in the air that signals the coming of spring. You finished your laps and prepared breakfast for two and brought them up to the third floor. While Levi treated you rudely during your punishment for these two weeks, he didn’t mind having breakfast with you and you find that he was mostly relaxed during mealtimes, so that was the only time you could have a proper, decent ~~flirt~~ conversation with him.

“Good morning, _Captain_ Levi,” you greeted him, placing a sarcastic emphasis on his title.

“Still alive, _brat_?” he was opening the windows in his office.

“No need to sound so happy to see me, I might blush,” you placed the tray on his desk and looked up to find him looking at you. A few of his shirt buttons were open, exposing his muscular chest. You bit your lip and looked away, heat rising to your face.

“Oh? Like what you see?” He smirked.

“Eat your breakfast before it gets cold! Sir!” you sat down and speared your food. Stupid Levi. You savored every bite of your breakfast – there were eggs, baked potatoes, beef jerky, baked beans and some fruits. You looked up to see Levi toying and inspecting his food.

“Do you want me to feed you? Sir?” You asked with mock sweetness.

“I’m just wondering if it’s spicy,” He shot you a calculative look. There were a few people that he suspected for the heinous deed, and you were high on that list.

You almost choked on a potato. “I didn’t know you like spicy foods. I’ll be sure to remember that tomorrow.”

He prodded his food one last time before deciding that it was safe. At least, if it _was_ spicy then he’ll get to confirm who the culprit was. Both of you were silent for a while as you ate. He watched your mannerisms – you were dainty with your cutleries and looked like you thoroughly enjoy eating.

“I want you to wear this today,” Levi abruptly shoved a lumpy, half-opened parcel to you as you were finishing your food.

“What is it?” you attempted to open it only to be stopped by Levi. You froze as he placed his hand on yours. The contact sent a flurry of sparks to shoot off in your stomach. You watched him with a small blush.

“Just wear it, no questions asked. If you don’t I’ll worsen your punishment,” He looked fiercely at you, as if daring you to disobey him.

“Yes, Sir,” you groaned. You don’t doubt him. You balanced the parcel and the tray of dirty plates and left his office.

After you had a quick shower, you finally opened the parcel and a soft, cotton tunic fell out – wait, no – it’s a dress. A _very short_ dress. No way in _hell_ are you going to walk around in these the whole day!

“Oh my god, he’s a pervert!! Perverted motherfucker!!” you yelled out in your empty room. It wasn’t any ordinary dress – it was a maid’s dress; black and white, with a garter and knee-high socks. Well, you definitely can’t do any cleaning in _that_.

Still, you had to do it or there will probably be hell to pay. You quickly dressed up and checked your reflection in the mirror. The dress hugged your figure, accentuating your curves. It was also a little low-cut; if you bent down, your boobs were definitely on show. You opened your drawer and reached for your rose-tint lip balm. He asked for it, so you might as well have fun watching him _squirm_.

 

You strutted up the stairs in your cape. As you reached Levi’s office, you barged in without knocking.

“(F/n) (L/n) what the f – ” his words died in his throat as you took off your cape. You looked like one of his wet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemons in the next chapter!! :3


End file.
